


Crawl Into My Bed

by SymphonicFantasia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 1950's aesthetic diner, Alien Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brief Mentions of Eggpreg, Bruises, Flirting, Graphic Description, Late Night Conversations, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex Club, Sex Worker AU, Sex Worker Shiro, Sexual Content, Sexual Fantasy, Slow Burn, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-03-17 23:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 45,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13669203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicFantasia/pseuds/SymphonicFantasia
Summary: WILL RETURN IN MARCH - UPDATE ON SUNDAY'S.Having sex with someone in the sex worker field was considered them doing their job. But having one of themwantto have sex with you? That rarely happened to anyone, especially Keith, butboydid he want that discount. It meant a mad scramble for money, but he received the lucky opportunity to work at one of best sex clubs on the planet.It was just a lucky break that the same guy Keith wanted to have sex with worked there, too.--(Also known as the "Shiro is a sex worker and Keith pines for him" AU.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before you take the chance to read this fic, there are two people I need to thank for this fic.
> 
> This fic was just an idea back in 2016 that I never thought I would take the chance to write. I talked this out with my friend Ceci who heard each and every idea I had for this fic. We would go back and forth with multiple ideas (for this fic and our own personal AU's) and she helped so much when I first entered this fandom. Without her, this idea would have never happened
> 
> For NaNoWriMo'17, I grabbed the chance to write this out and complete my first NaNo ever. Kay ([skeletense](https://twitter.com/skeletense)) helped a lot with branching the story more, dropping ideas with me, and pushing me through the challenge when things got tough. She even helped me with the description and got me on the right path!
> 
> Thank you to the both of you. Without you two, this story would have never happened. I would have failed NaNo. More importantly, when things got tough, you two believed in me and knew I could do this. You both knew I worked so hard on this story and knew that it deserved to be posted and shared. Thank you and I love you both. ♥

There were many impressive buildings in the city, but Altea ruled over them all with an iron fist. Even Keith was impressed by its design.

The outside did a marvelous job at pretending it wasn’t a sex club. With the building’s pastel pink paint job, Altea’s name written in thick gold script, and black wrought iron gates that covered both the doors used to gain entry how could one tell?

It was only when someone walked into the building and got past security did they realize what they had gotten in to. Why they didn’t realize something was off when the bouncer asked for ID, he would never know. Most tourists ran with their tail between their legs, embarrassed they had walked into such a place.

Other’s remained after deciding that they might as well enjoy themselves.

Altea was constructed to give entertainment and pleasure, covering anything that a client may be interested in—from their tamest desire to their most extreme. They hired aliens and humans alike to make sure that they could give clients what they wanted without their privacy being invaded. If they liked to be choked, there was someone there who could take care of them.

Had a desire to be filled up by an ovipositor and have their eggs dispensed inside of you? There was an alien to cover that. There was even an alien around that helped anyone with a tentacle kink, something that many people wished to keep private.

Just as pleasing as their exterior was, their inside had a pleasant aesthetic feeling to it that Keith enjoyed.

In front of the entrance doors was a raised platform that stretched across fifteen feet leading to the back of the club. Stripper poles were placed at its two ends and in the middle. Booth styled seats flanked both sides of it, the dark wood shiny beneath the bright lights. In the far back was a lighted dance floor with a DJ booth behind it. Keith didn’t believe anyone did much dancing in Altea and he could see a spiral staircase nearby.

As if that wasn’t a recipe for disaster in a place that served alcohol.

On the right side of the club were five booths, each in the same dark velvet purple. It was set up for those who wanted a bit more privacy with the workers and curtains were attached near the top of every entryway. Keith figured they were closed when they were occupied.

It was the bar that was just as impressive as the rest of the club.

Dark wood stretched ten feet long with stools lining it. Behind it sat a mirror half its length with photos tucked into the frame of patrons and workers. Keith could see a hundred-dollar bill tucked into the frame to mark a milestone in the club’s life. It was fully stocked with alcohol of all kinds and glasses of every shape and size. The only thing that stood out, besides the fact that the floor was black marble and the walls were grey, was the cash register. It looked ancient and Keith figured it dated back to the 1950’s. It was a relic and it didn’t look like it belonged in the club.

Other than that, Keith liked how the place looked and wasn’t surprised to learn that it had been open for almost a year.

Keith rubbed his hands together and decided to look around. He wasn’t one to just sit in one place for too long if he could help it. His friends were seated at the bar. They were deep in conversation with one of the co-owners, an Altean woman named Allura.

Keith thought it was a little ironic that she had named her club after her home planet. Maybe she missed it, or she thought about bringing a piece of her planet to another and share what it was like. He dismissed that thought the moment it came to the forefront of his mind. If she wanted to share a piece of her culture, it wouldn’t be through a sex club.

Allura was tall and slender, silver hair pinned up in a bun with a few stray locks framing her face. Her ears were tapered to a point and there were pink crescent-shaped marks on her cheekbones, iconic Altean traits. Upon entering, Lance had asked her if she was willing to spend some time with him for the evening. She answered him by pinning his arm behind his back, announcing that she was never part of that line of work.

Keith found it amusing and knew at that moment that he liked her.

Things had calmed down now. Pidge was explaining to Allura all the things she had gotten from a few sex shops—things that Keith, Hunk, and Lance had picked out. It was one of the strangest adventures Pidge had ever taken them on. Keith used that term lightly, though. Anything that involved Pidge wasn’t always an adventure. Sometimes embarrassing things happened that scarred her friends for life.

Keith walked across the dance floor, wondering if the colors were the same as the club’s interior colors or if they were different. He wandered closer to the DJ’s booth and eyed the equipment sitting there. It looked expensive but also homemade. Pidge shouted at him to stay away from it and he did, raising his hands to show that he hadn’t touched a damn thing. The last thing he needed was to be on Pidge’s shit list.

He directed his attention to the stairs. He ran his fingers along the bars, taking in the design.

And maybe Keith should have been a bit more prepared for someone to come up the stairs. He was right next to them, after all. He should have heard the footsteps echoing off the metal or the sight of the person coming up them.

But he didn’t, and he was taken away by the appearance of the man who did.

Keith came up to his shoulders and he didn’t miss how they were twice his size. His darkened hair and shaved sides would have given him a military appearance if it weren’t for the shock of white hair hanging in his face. Keith took in the sharp angles of his jaw and his high cheekbones, questioned the scars that danced across his nose and body, questioned the metallic right arm, then lost his train of thought when he imagined being crushed by his muscles. He wore sweatpants that hung low on his hips and it gave little to the imagination of what lay beneath them.

All in all, a fine specimen of an attractive man.

The only thing that seemed out of place on him was that gaudy pink see-through robe with feathers around the neck, wrists, and hem.

But when he looked at him and smiled, Keith tightened his grip on the staircase’s rail. If he didn’t, he knew that he would have fallen to his knees to thank God for bestowing to him such a beauty.

“You’re cute, but the rooms don’t open for another few hours,” the man said with a tilt of his head.

Oh.

_Oh._

Keith could feel the heat spreading from his neck to his face. Already he was fumbling over the words that he had planned to say to him. Something snarky that could be used as a comeback. Every option he had fell before him and flopped around on the ground. He was left with nothing.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” the man started, “but would you mind…?”

It took far longer for Keith to understand his silent request, his mind slow to register what he was implying. When it clicked, he looked down at the staircase and how he was blocking them. If you wanted to embarrass yourself in front of someone hot, this was the way to do it. Keith considered making it into a short story. With pictures for the little ones to read and learn from his mistakes.

Keith banged his knuckles against the railing and stepped aside. “Sorry about that…”

The man’s smile never faltered and it was starting to make Keith feel warmer. “It’s fine.” He reached up and touched Keith’s shoulder as he passed, something that Keith would feel for days. “Thank you. Come see me later. I’ll offer you a discount when the club is dying down.”

Something clicked in Keith’s mind, a comeback that grew so fast it would have made Lance proud. He turned to the man. “I don’t think I could afford you even with the discount.”

A beat or two of silence followed it. Keith had successfully stopped him in his tracks and got him to turn around to look at him. He didn’t know what to make of the look on his face. The man looked shocked, but Keith could see the slightest hint of him being impressed.

He stepped closer to Keith, who swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. Being nervous around people wasn’t anything new, but this felt different. Maybe it was because Keith was enthralled by how he looked, even with that terrible robe on him.

“I’m Shiro,” he said as he held out his left hand.

Keith knew there was no holding back his smile. He shook Shiro’s hand. “Keith. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah,” Shiro said, his eyebrows shooting up his brow. “You’re that friend Pidge keeps talking about.” He snapped the fingers of his metal hand. “The ‘emo kid who always crosses his arms and has something smart to say to Lance’. Right?”

Keith looked past Shiro to stare at Pidge. Maybe she knew they were talking about her because she was looking at them. She raised and lowered her eyebrows, and Keith glared at her. If he had originally known how Shiro looked, he wouldn’t have wanted Shiro’s first impression of him to be _that_. Not that Keith _hadn’t_ heard Pidge’s impression of him, but still.

“Yeah, I’m _that_ friend,” Keith answered. He pulled his hand back and crossed his arms, unsure if he was proving Pidge right or if it was a habit he needed to break away from.

Shiro laughed and it sounded nice, like wind chimes on a hot summer day. Keith wanted to hear it again and again. “Well, let me get you something to drink. If you’re friends with Pidge, then you’re in _desperate_ need of one.”

“You have no idea,” Keith muttered.

Keith followed Shiro to the bar and climbed onto a stool. He folded his arms on the bar top, watching Shiro walk around and start his drink. He didn’t get a chance to check the names of the alcohol he was using.

Allura was at Shiro’s side almost instantly, kissing his cheek when he lowered his head. “Please don’t tell me you’re drinking this early.” She narrowed her eyes at his cheek and started to wipe away at the lipstick residue left there.

“To be fair,” Shiro started, pulling away from Allura and pouring his concoction in a tall glass, “it’s for Keith because he has to suffer at Pidge’s hand.” Finishing up the drink, he dropped the straw in it and took a sip. “But a small taste wouldn’t hurt, would it, Keith?”

Keith smiled him. He _really_ liked him. “Not at all.” He took the drink as Shiro slid it over to him. He pulled the straw between his lips and one taste had Keith’s taste buds feeling like they were in heaven. Keith tilted his head back and hummed. “This is delicious.”

Pidge leaned closer, opening her mouth as if to taste the beverage. Keith pulled it away from her, still irritated at what she had told Shiro. She pouted but continued to say, “Shiro makes the best ‘Sex on the Beach’ in the bar. Not a lot of people order them when he works it, though.”

“That’s because they’d rather have their dick in me or my dick in them, Pidge.”

Pidge waved a hand at him. “Details. Anyway, you already met Keith, but meet the others.” She turned and did a full 360 on her stool before waving a hand to their other friends. “This is Lance and Hunk. You finally get to meet them in the flesh after all my ranting about them. All three of them are the reason why we have brand new outfits to show off to people. You and the others shouldn’t be complaining about my bad tastes this time.”

“You brought back _edible underwear_ , Pidge,” Shiro said with a flat look.

“Leia couldn’t perform for a while after that incident,” Allura added. Her arms were crossed, and she was tapping her bicep with a well-manicured finger.

Pidge made vague hand gestures to the outfits flooding the bar top. “And now you don’t have to worry about that!”

Shiro rolled his eyes. He ran a hand through a black feathered outfit. It was one of Lance’s picks if Keith remembered. He wondered if Pidge had any of _his_ outfits in Shiro’s size. There was one outfit that Keith picked out that was more leather than fabric. It would crisscross across Shiro’s scarred skin nicely. _That_ would be a sight to see and he would have no qualms about paying to see it, either.

“Thanks for helping her out,” Shiro said, looking up to smile at them all. His attention zeroed in on Keith at the end, though. “The bouncer there purposely messes with Pidge and makes things difficult for her. He likes seeing her all riled up and annoyed.”

“It _still_ happened,” Hunk muttered with a pout. “It took a while just to get her to calm down and go inside.”

“That sounds like Rax,” Allura commented. “He’s a good person, but he can be difficult to work with. I think he likes to pick on Pidge because she’s smaller than him.”

Pidge slammed the side of her fist on the bar top, earning a stern look from Allura. “Just wait until he gets to my eye level! I’ll show him who’s small.”

Keith snorted.

The idea of Pidge being physically threatening was a humorous thought. Pidge had a better chance at digging up dirt on Rax and using it against him. After all, she did it to Hunk, Lance, and himself. All Pidge had to do was mention what she found, and they would follow her commands like puppets.

Most of her adventures felt like science experiments with severe consequences. Lance said he couldn’t look at meatloaf the same way again, Hunk always looked away from the dean when he stopped to chat with him, and Keith still had bruises from Pidge because of her last stunt over a month ago.

Pidge claimed that not all of them were from her. Keith decided to neither defend or point all the blame at her.

Allura laughed. She glimpsed at her watch and then looked at the boys. “Thank you so much for helping Pidge. I’m afraid that I’m going to have to ask you to leave, though. There’s much work to be done before we can open the club for the evening.”

Shiro touched the inside of Allura’s elbow. She gave him a look when he smiled at her. “Why don’t we have them help around the club for a bit?”

Allura pulled her arm away from him, ready to make a retorting statement. Keith could see it in her blazing eyes.

“Allura, just remember that Matt and Coran won’t be here for a while. We have no one prepping ingredients in the kitchen, Pidge still has to go over the music for tonight--”

“Shiro!” a shrill voice rang out through the club. “Did you steal my robe again?!”

Keith looked to Shiro who shrugged his shoulders. He ran his fingers through the feathers near his neck.

“It looks better on me,” Shiro said in response to the stares. “Nyma still has to practice and choose an outfit tonight. Everyone knows how long that could take.”

Lance slammed his hands down on the table. He looked eager. “Who’s Nyma?”

Pidge pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times then showed it to Lance. Keith couldn’t see what she was showing him. Lance, however, was ready to take off like a rocket. He rummaged through the pile of clothes until he found a few pieces and headed for the stairs.

“Nyma’s in the third room on the left,” Allura called out to him when he reached them.

“And be careful, Lance,” Shiro started just as Lance ran up the stairs, “she has pheromones and an ovipositor.” When Lance didn’t respond to his call, Shiro shrugged his shoulders. “He’ll be in for a surprise, then.”

Allura rolled her eyes and slapped at Shiro’s ass, eliciting a slight “oh” from him. “Go on and get ready yourself. You have your own duties to get to.”

“I’m going, I’m going.”

Keith chewed his lip, bouncing his leg up and down. “I don’t suppose _you_ need as much help as Nyma does, do you?”

Shiro walked around the bar until he was close to Keith. He raised a hand and stroked Keith’s cheek with his knuckles. “You never know. I might need some help wiggling _out_ of an outfit one day.”

Oh, the possibilities behind that.

Keith turned in his seat, watching as Shiro swayed his hips to the stairs and descended them. He was starting to believe that he needed to make a habit of visiting Altea now that he knew Shiro worked here. Keith wondered what one night with him would cost. It might break his bank if he did it, but the thought was tantalizing, and he was ready to indulge in it.

Allura cleared her throat. Keith turned in his seat until he was facing her again. He sipped his drink to cover up the fact that he was checking Shiro out. He didn’t think anyone believed him, though.

“Now… do any of you two know how to cook?”

* * *

Keith knew he should be focused on making the set of drinks before him, but he was too busy watching Shiro.

A few others had performed before him, some alien and some human. Nyma, a beautiful looking alien that had successfully captured Lance’s heart, had already performed. Right now, she was sitting in a private booth with a stranger who paid for her time. Lance didn’t seem to complain. Every now and then he ran up to Keith to rub in his face about all the tips he had been getting. It came to the point where Keith was hoping for someone to tell Lance to get back to work.

Now if only he had someone to tell himself the same thing because Keith couldn’t take his eyes off Shiro’s performance.

Shiro had to earn his muscles somehow and working a stripper pole was one way to do it. And did Shiro know how to work it. Keith didn’t think he could pull off any of the tricks he was doing, no matter how hard he tried. He would only end up humiliating himself and falling on his face. But why would he want to do the stunts himself when he could watch Shiro perform all night?

“Keith! Booth Four is still waiting on their drinks!” Allura said, breaking him out of his trance.

Keith shook his head and went to make them. It was quick and easy, and it shouldn’t have taken as long as it should have. He placed the two drinks on a tray and made his way to the other side of the club. He had to pass the performance section of the club, but Shiro was on the opposite side of it. There was no chance to get a glimpse of his face or throw a smile at him.

Keith knocked on the wood of the booth. Nyma popped her head out from behind the closed curtain and smiled at him. Lance would have loved to be in his place right now. She took the drinks, motioned for him to stay put, and disappeared behind the curtain. Keith only had to wait for a minute before Nyma stuck her head out again and slipped a lipstick-stained $5 bill into his hand.

She winked and disappeared back into the booth, leaving him confused.

There wasn’t a chance to question or think about how Nyma managed to get him tipped for being late. Maybe he didn’t want to know about it, especially after learning that she could release pheromones. Allura called for him to hurry back to the bar. Altea was busier than he expected it to be. Without him, Lance, and Hunk, Keith wondered how they managed to survive the onslaught of people that came to the club. Even the ID checkpoint only had two beings working it and that seemed too little in Keith’s opinion.

Keith walked back to the bar, straightening the bill out in his hand to put in his wallet. He wasn’t paying attention to how close he was to the performance stage or the fact that Shiro nearly took him out when he decided to hang upside down on the pole.

They stared at each other and Keith felt time stop for a moment.

He could feel the eyes of everyone staring at them—at _him_. Keith wondered what they were expecting to witness, and it only took a second for him to realize it. And maybe he shouldn’t have thought that Shiro was at the perfect dick sucking level. And maybe he should have walked off before giving away the only tip he’s gotten for the night, but oh well.

Shiro deserved it.

Keith held the bill out for Shiro to take, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him to deny it. He wore a smoky eyeshadow that had Keith feeling like he was lost within them. It felt like he was lost in a storm and the storm’s name was Shiro.

Shiro met his look, raising an eyebrow of his own.

Challenge accepted.

Unfolding the bill, Keith pressed it against Shiro’s abs. He slid it up until he reached those spandex shorts that were even _better_ for imagining what was beneath them. Keith bit his lip as he snapped the elastic band on the bill, keeping it in place. He scraped his nails down Shiro’s abs, relishing in how he let out the most delightful sound.

Then Keith walked away, pretending that nothing had happened.

For the rest of the night, Keith watched Shiro work, fighting an aching hard-on. He watched him move from the performance stage, to the bar, and to the booths until he sauntered upstairs with someone in tow. With him out of sight, Keith could put all his energy into making drinks instead of fighting an erection. His speed increased, something that Allura commented on, and tips rolled in with every drink he delivered to the booths.

Matt always took care of taking drinks to Shiro’s room. Keith figured that was Allura’s idea. Whether to keep Shiro focused on his job or Keith on his own, he couldn’t tell.

When the doors closed and locked for the night at 4 AM, everyone relaxed.

Allura sat near the performance stage, undoing her bun until silver hair cascaded down her shoulder. Pidge and Rolo, an alien that helped tend ID checks, worked on sweeping and mopping the floors. Down below, Hunk and Lance were cleaning up the kitchen while Coran worked on counting the money up. It was Matt and Keith’s job to clean the bar. It was a mindless task that Keith didn’t mind so much. After all that they’ve done today, it was good to wind down by doing nothing.

“Keith,” a female voice called out to him, a lilt to her voice that sounded erotic.

He turned around and stared at Nyma. Her pink lipstick was smudged and there were bite marks on her neck. She waved an envelope in her hand.

“From a secret admirer of yours.”

Keith stepped closer and took the envelope in her hand. Nyma shimmied away before he could ask her anything else. He looked at Matt, made sure he wasn’t looking and ripped the envelope open with his teeth. A letter and a $5 bill fell out when he shook it. The letter was short and to the point:

_You shouldn’t give away your tips like that._

_-Shiro_

If Keith was any other person, he would have laughed at how the “i” was dotted with a heart. Instead, he found it heartwarming and he traced a finger around it.

“I’m glad I didn’t put a lip stain on it. I might have walked in on you kissing it.”

Keith turned, locks of hair slipping out from his ponytail. Shiro sat at the bar, a smile on his face. There were similar marks on his neck that Nyma had and his makeup was smudged. It was a nice look on him. Keith wished he was one of the few who was leaving marks on Shiro’s skin and ruining his makeup. He wondered what Shiro would think about him leaving marks on his thighs.

He stepped closer to Shiro and braced his hands on the bar top. “How’d you know that _that_ particular bill was mine?”

Shiro shrugged his shoulders. “Nyma only wears one shade of lipstick. It’s on one of the corners of the bill. I’m guessing that’s where she held it in her mouth when a patron gave it to her.”

Keith picked up the bill and looked around the edges. Sure enough, there was the lipstick stain. He placed it on the table and slid it back to Shiro.

“I gave it to you. It’s rightfully yours,” Keith said, giving the bill a tap with his fingers.

Shiro slid it back.

“Keep your tips, Keith.” He smiled. “How else are you going to save up for a night with me?”

Keith was taken back by the comment. His mouth dropped open as he fumbled, thinking about what he should say to the suggestion. He felt like a fish out of water, as if this was an entirely new experience for him. Shiro gave him a wink, which only succeeded in sending him even more into a confusing spiral.

Keith still didn’t think of anything to say as Shiro stood up and sauntered off to the staircase and down them.

Coran came up a minute later, money in his hand and Hunk in tow.

“Here’s your pay, Keith,” Coran said, holding the money out to him. “You worked for us, and Allura wants to be sure you’re paid well.”

Keith took the money and thumbed through it quickly. It wasn’t much, but he couldn’t say that it was little. He did get a lot of tips once Shiro was gone and he could focus on his job. Keith was putting out drinks as fast as they were ordered. It helped that most of the drinks went to Nyma’s patrons and he was _bound_ to get some tips that were bigger than $1 thanks to her. He even managed to snag a $20 because of her charms. Keith didn’t want to know what kind of black magic she worked on them.

Lance hurried up the stairs, a happy smile plastered on his face. In his hand, he had his own set of bills crumbled up. He didn’t even have the decency to tuck them away in his pocket like Hunk and Keith. He hurried to the bar, shaking his fist in Keith’s face.

Keith resisted the urge to smack Lance’s fist back in his own face. Maybe that would teach him a lesson.

“Dude! This is way more than I make at the diner,” Lance said. His smile only grew as he skimmed through the bills. “And all those tips? Man, I’m ready to quit my old job and stay here!”

Keith smacked his hand away, ignoring the glare that Lance sent his way. “Can we go now? I’m tired.”

Lance gave him a sly look and Keith once again resisted the urge to punch him. “Why? Are you upset because you didn’t get some _personal time_ with Shiro?”

Keith bristled from Lance’s statement. It was far from the truth, but he didn’t like what Lance was insinuating. He was tired and grumpy. His legs ached from all the standing he had done, plus walking around the bar and up and down stairs. Not to mention all the drinks that were occasionally spilled on him when clients decided to bump into him with their hands and feet. Keith _reeked_ of alcohol.

And Shiro—Keith cut that thought off.

Okay, maybe he _was_ a little upset that he didn’t get to spend a _little_ time with Shiro. Keith knew that he had work to do, but he would have been satisfied with a wink every now and then. He hardly got that.

“Look, like I said, I’m tired. Okay?” Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. “I still have that project to work on and I’m in big trouble with Iverson if I don’t get it done.”

Holding his hands up, Lance stepped away from the bar. “Alright, alright. We can head out of here.” He looked over at Pidge, who seemed to be getting into a heated debate with Rolo about outfits. “Hey, Pidge! Do you need a ride?”

Pidge adjusted her glasses. “Nah, I’m good. Get home safe, guys. See you tomorrow.”

They said their goodbyes to Coran and Allura before heading out.

The cool spring air felt nice after being inside the bar all night. Keith stretched his arms above his head. He followed Lance and Hunk down the street to the beat-up car that Lance had claimed as his own. He thought about how the night went and how he would get a good sleep tonight after getting work done.

Lance and Hunk discussed what happened throughout the night, the people they’ve met, the things they’ve seen and what they had done. Keith was just glad to remain silent.

That night, Keith didn’t get any of his work done. He couldn’t help it. His mind drifted back to Altea—most of all, it drifted to Shiro.

It felt weird.

Keith felt like some love-struck puppy who wanted to follow him around until he gave him attention. And _shit_ , he would have, and this was a feeling completely new to Keith.

He didn’t know how to handle it.

* * *

“Why do you look like you survived _Night of the Living Dead_?”

Keith raised his head from his folded arms and stared at Pidge. She had her eyebrow quirked and Keith wondered just how badly he _did_ look. Before he left his apartment, he did check his appearance to see how it was. It didn’t seem so bad and neither Hunk or Lance made a comment as he ran out the door.

Then again, Pidge was brutal when she wanted to serve the truth.

What was he supposed to say to her, though? Keith couldn’t tell her that he woke up in the middle of the night because of a sex dream he had with Shiro. He especially couldn’t tell her that he fucked his fist afterward. That would have been ammo Keith could use to shoot himself in the foot. Pidge would use it against him for _months_.

Keith stifled a yawn. “I was busy sucking dick for cash. Why do you _think_ I look like this?”

Pidge rolled her eyes, unimpressed with his joke. “Well, speaking of cash, you up for going to Altea today?”

Keith wanted to punch himself at the bubbling feeling that happened in his stomach. Going to Altea meant he would see Shiro again, but that would mean he had to suffer through some teasing. Only the Heavens knew how much Lance had prepared for him. If he uttered one joke, Keith was going to let him have it.

More importantly, how could Keith face Shiro after he had just jerked off to him a couple of hours ago? He would be surprised if he managed to look him in the face after that.

“What for?” Keith asked.

“Allura said she wanted to speak with you guys.” Pidge shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t ask me about what. That was the last thing she told me before I left last night.”

Now Keith was suspicious. Why in the world would someone like Allura want to meet with them? Even more so, why wouldn’t she tell Pidge about what she was planning? It was Keith’s choice to go to Altea or not. Pidge didn’t say he _had_ to go, and he was sure he could come up with an excuse that even _Pidge_ could believe.

… Okay, maybe he couldn’t. Pidge knew what Keith did during his free time, or at least most of it.

What was there to really lose by going with her?

“Alright, fine.” Keith ran his fingers through his hair. “You sure you don’t know what it’s about?”

“No. But let’s be serious, Keith: if I knew, would I have told you?”

“Point taken.”

 

 

 

 

Even after working a busy day at Altea, it still looked beautiful to Keith.

Matt and Coran were behind the bar, stocking on essential alcohol that they would need for the week (or the night.) Allura sat at the performance stage, watching as Nyma performed before her. Keith couldn’t recall her doing tricks like that when he worked last night. He figured it was something new she came up with some time ago. Music played along with her movements, the sound playing low from the bar.

Allura said nothing when they entered. She didn’t look at them, either. She waved her hand, motioning for them to come and sit with her. No matter what, her eyes were still on Nyma, watching her perform.

Nyma danced and they joined in watching her, waiting for Allura to pay attention to them.

“Cut the music, Coran,” Allura said.

The music stopped and Nyma set herself down from the pole, her heels clicking softly.

Allura stood up and stepped onto the stage. “You’re still a little stiff in some parts, but nothing a bit of practice won’t help.” She raised her hand, tucking a hair braid behind Nyma’s shoulder. Keith could see some of the hickeys from yesterday. “Try practicing with Shiro. He’ll be able to tell you exactly when you start to do it.”

Keith pretended that he didn’t perk up at the mention of Shiro’s name.

“ _If_ I get a chance to practice with him,” Nyma commented, placing her hands on her hips. “For someone who just sleeps in the basement, he’s hard to track down and work with.” She noticed Lance and smiled, giving him a wink and blowing a kiss in his direction.

Lance pretended he caught it and placed it on his heart.

Allura laughed and waved Nyma off. “Go on and get some rest before tonight. You worked hard today. Thank you.” When Nyma disappeared up the stairs, Allura turned to the boys and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m glad you could all come back.”

“Anything for you, pretty lady,” Lance said, aiming at her with finger guns.

Keith’s only heard of one experience where the room collectively groaned at Lance’s comments. This was the second time and it was still funny.

“We received a lot of kind comments about you three working with us last night,” Allura spoke. She stepped down and sat in the row across from them, crossing her legs. “All the food that you made, Hunk? Simply divine. I can’t begin to mention how many times a patron told me to keep the new cook we hired. The amount would have made you blush.”

Hunk was blushing even as she spoke. Keith could see how the tips of his ears were bright red.

“Lance, you’re nimble and quick on your feet,” Allura complimented. “We haven’t had a server who was as fast as you. That’s crucial for a place such as this. With how many customers we get a night, we need someone quick to deliver food and desserts to patrons and rooms.”

Lance waved a hand at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Allura cut him off.

“And Keith?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but Keith could see the mischievous glint within them. He didn’t want her to say how often and long he had been staring at Shiro while he was performing. Keith knew that she had been watching him, so it was impossible for her not to know what he was doing. Keith was unable to be subtle about it.

“You’re quick when it comes to making drinks. Matt’s good, but it’s always good to have another bartender who’s fast to make drinks. Have you done it before?”

Keith shrugged. “I do it every now and then when I feel like being fancy. It’s not something I usually do.”

“You don’t say,” Allura muttered. She wasn’t stating it as a question.

She hummed looked at them all with her arms crossed. Keith wondered what she was contemplating. Her index finger tapped against her bicep and her critical and analyzing eyes never left their forms.

“Allura, don’t mess with the heads of these poor and unfortunate souls.”

Keith refused to believe that his heart jumped into his throat when Shiro sat beside him, two tall glasses filled with liquid in his hands. From fright or something else, he couldn’t say—or refused to acknowledge it and accept the truth.

He avoided looking at him, his dream from last night hit him like a truck. Images of Shiro beneath him, running his hands up and down his body, teasing at his cock and gripping his ass. Every time he pushed them aside, they would come back quicker and show him the next scene and that was dirtier than the last. This was too much, and Keith needed to use all his willpower to keep himself from popping a boner next to him.

Shiro leaned in close to him, their shoulders pressed together. His eyes still stole Keith’s breath away with how beautiful they were. “Go ahead and tell them the news.”

Allura sighed. Her fun was clearly ruined by Shiro’s appearance. She smiled at them. “How would you all like to have permanent jobs here at Altea? We can work around whatever schedules you might have with school or other jobs. It won’t be an issue. You three have been the best workers we’ve had in some time. For a place like this, we need fast workers and you three are it.”

Keith looked around the room. Lance stood up from his seat and hooted into the air. It wasn’t a surprise to see that he agreed to work with her so quickly. All throughout the car ride home last night, Keith had to listen to him talk about it. It quickly reached the point where he was ready to walk home.

He looked over at Hunk, finding him agreeing to work for Altea, as well. Keith was glad that he would work here. Currently, Hunk was working at a bakery that wasn’t treating him with respect. He made beautiful cakes, but they always degraded his work. Keith always said that it was to keep him under their thumb. Hunk was too kind to leave them. Hopefully, this would be the push he needed to quit that place.

Looking back at Shiro, Keith could see the hopeful glint in his eyes. If he worked at Altea, he could see Shiro more often. They’d be able to work together and hopefully talk. Keith wondered what they could learn about each other while he worked here. Maybe it would be the end of Keith humping his mattress, thinking that it was Shiro instead of the soft rectangle beneath him. That might make matters worse now that Keith thought about it.

Without taking his eyes off Shiro, Keith answered, “I’ll take the offer, Allura.”

Shiro smiled. “Then a toast to working together.” He held his extra glass out to him. Keith couldn’t help but think that it was meant to be his all along. “I hope we see a lot more of each other, Keith. A _lot_ more.”

Keith took the glass and smiled at him. “I hope we do.”

They clinked their glasses together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come follow me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/val_hellaa)!
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I have been excited (and dreading) this day when I could finally post this. As I said in the author's notes, I've been working on this story of mine for over a year. I'm as excited as I am nervous to finally share this story. I hope you guys like it a much as I enjoyed (read: cried while typing) writing it. This story will update every three weeks, two if I work hard on making new content.
> 
>  
> 
> **Keep in mind that tags will be added while I update chapters. Whenever I update, I ask that you check out the additional tags and see what has changed. I have around six or so chapters planned and ready to be edited and posted.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've honestly been buzzing with excitement to post this chapter. Not only that, season 5, ya'll. How crazy was that? Enjoy the chapter!

One would expect the glamour of working at Altea to diminish after two weeks.

Whatever joy he may have felt at the start of taking Allura’s offer should have withered away. It would have happened at other “normal” jobs. Between customers who rushed him for their drinks or got too handsy with him from drinking too much, it should have disappeared. By now, he should be nothing more than an empty husk that would slowly fill up with annoyance and anger.

But it wasn’t that way for Keith.

Altea brought excitement to his usual dull routine of work, home, homework, and a little bit of partying. If it were up to him, Keith would have become a hermit and never see the light of day. The only reason why he didn’t was that none of his courses in the university were online. That and the fact that Hunk would _gladly_ pull him into the sunlight to melt if he went off the radar. He had tried it once and it didn’t work well for him. It resulted in Keith getting a sunburn to end all sunburns.

Keith, however, had one little thing to complain about Altea. It wasn’t about the work hours or who he worked with or even the customers.

Beezer chirped and buzzed at him, little angry emotes flashing across his tiny screen.

Keith has had an issue with Beezer since the first night he officially started working at Altea. He barred the door after letting Hunk and Lance pass by, demanding in his own way to see Keith’s ID. Keith balked at the machine. Beezer had seen him _twice_ already and he had seen him working the bar. If he wasn’t old enough to drink, then he wouldn’t have been hired.

It erupted into a fight until Pidge came out to save him, telling Beezer that Keith was “cool.” Keith still couldn’t believe she fist-bumped a robot and ignored the death glare sent his way.

“Beezer, if I’m late one more time, Allura might fire me.”

The robot chirped, and Keith knew for a fact that he was cheerful.

“That’s it. I’m dismantling you.”

Beezer lifted his tiny robotic hands and clenched them into fists, ready to fight Keith the moment he laid a hand on him. Keith could fight him back, he was sure of it. Between him and the robot? The winner would be clear in a matter of seconds.

Allura threw open the doors to the foyer, immediately stopping the fight before it could even start. She must have had come out to see where he was. Keith figured he was around ten minutes late, which was never a good thing in Allura’s book. “Keith? What are you still doing out here?”

Keith vaguely gestured towards Beezer. “Your machine continues to stop me whenever I walk through the door.” Beezer chirped again and he gestured to him one more time as if he could convey all that he was trying to prove in one sentence. “Do you see what I mean?”

Allura rolled her eyes and took hold of Keith’s bicep. “Beezer, please knock it off. You’ll find yourself back at the pawn shop where I found you if you don’t.”

She pulled Keith into the club, but not before he elegantly flipped the robot off. He hoped that would be the end of whatever vendetta Beezer had against him. If not, then he would continue to be held at bay when he was trying to get to work. The last thing he wanted was to get on Allura’s bad side.

In the club, the preparations to open were just starting. Downstairs, Hunk was most likely helping Coran prep ingredients and food for tonight. Matt was at the bar, cleaning glasses to make sure they shined. Pidge was at her booth, fiddling with music and creating a mix, and Rolo was talking to Nyma as she sat at the bar. Keith never knew what to make of those two. He had seen Nyma flirt with others before, but she seemed to do it even more so with him.

The only one missing was Lance who was back at the university taking a test. Keith didn’t think they would miss him that much. Besides, he would be here later when the bulk of customers arrived. That was when they would need him the most. Allura wasn’t playing around when she said that they could work around their school schedules. If there was one thing that the princess of a _planet_ cared about—other than her club—it was education. If they told her when they would need some extra time to get there, Allura was more than happy to indulge them.

Keith hurried downstairs to toss his bag into the employee lounge. He could feel Allura’s eyes boring holes into his back as he moved throughout the club. He felt like a gazelle trying to flee from a hungry lioness. No one could tell what would make Allura pounce on him. Keith figured it would be the multiple times he was late to work because of Beezer. Or all the times he slowed down because he was staring at a certain performer.

Matt greeted him when he arrived at the bar. Rolo and Nyma were gone, most likely off elsewhere to work on setting things up. Keith was tossed a rag and he went about the tedious task of cleaning and shining the glasses they had stocked. It was simple, and Keith’s mind would often wander whenever he did it. It would wander to his school work, what projects he had to work on for classes, and—

“I thought I saw you running up the stairs.”

There was no better sound than the way Shiro spoke to Keith. It seemed like a mix between a purr and something else—Keith could never figure out what it was. However, it always sent a chill up Keith’s spine and he always had to bite his lip. If he didn’t, then his smile would be a mile long and he couldn’t give it to Shiro that easily. _Yet_.

Keith turned around and drank Shiro’s appearance in like he was a gallon of water. No matter how many times he looked at him, Keith was always parched for more. He was out in the desert, searching for an oasis. That oasis was Shiro and he would lose himself in the contours of his abs and pecs, drink up the spicy way he smelled, and fall asleep listening to the way he talked.

During his time working at Altea, he’s talked a lot with Shiro when work had finished for the night. The first time it happened, Shiro placed a hand on his knee, batted his eyelashes and said, _“Leaving already? I was hoping we could talk.”_ Hook, line, and sinker. Shiro had Keith by his balls, pulling him along until he sat with him in a booth.

Their conversations weren’t anything sexual or intimate. Keith genuinely learned a few things about Shiro. Such as his hobbies when he wasn’t dancing or having sex, what his favorite movies where, and what TV shows he was enjoying the most. These questions were always thrown back to Keith and it made him feel like he was in high school. The number of times he had heard couples exchange the same kind of questions made him _sick_. It was different with Shiro, though. It wasn’t as nauseating, and he could stomach it.

Shiro rocked left and right in his stool seat, biting back his own smile. “Bartender, do you think you can make me a drink?”

Keith crossed his arms and smirked at him. “You know you can come behind the bar, right? It’s not like you can’t.”

“But if I go back there, I won’t be able to check you out while you’re working.” Shiro raised and lowered his eyebrows. “I _do_ like to watch your ass when you’re moving back there. I’d rather take a bite out of that instead of what Hunk’s cooking today.”

Keith was grateful his hair could hide _most_ of his flushed skin. “Would you now?”

Matt gagged and they both turned to him. He continued to pretend to dry heave, holding a dish basin beneath his chin. He glared at them from the corner of his eye. “Why don’t you two get a room already? We all know you want to.”

Keith shrugged and turned his attention back to Shiro. “I’m saving up. It’ll take a while, but I’ll get there.”

Shiro slowly looked back at Keith. A seductive smile tugged at his lips and Keith had to grip the bar to keep himself from falling over. “I hope it’ll last all night.”

“You know it will.”

That shudder that wracked Shiro’s body didn’t go unnoticed by Keith. Pride swelled up inside him from that small reaction. He was ready to climb onto the roof and crow like a rooster.

“I’m sure I don’t pay you two to sit around and flirt with each other,” Allura said, pressing against Shiro’s side. She pushed him off the stool and shooed him to the stairs. “Go! Scat you!”

Shiro rolled his eyes, but his smile was directed at Keith. He waved a hand over his shoulder as he walked to the stairs. Keith watched him leave, ignoring how Allura glared at him. As deadly as her death glares were, he was sure that Shiro would be the one to kill him first.

What a way to go.

“Keith, dove, if you would be so kind as to start moving your caboose and get to work, that would be lovely,” Allura commented.

He picked up his rag and another glass, setting to work on cleaning it. Keith only did it until Allura disappeared downstairs. He set both the glass and rag down, turning to Matt. “She seems like she’s stressing over something. It’s not usual for her. Allura doesn’t freak out over nothing.”

Matt laughed. “You don’t look at our promotional flyers or social media pages, do you?” At Keith’s raised brow, Matt snorted. “Nyma and Shiro are doing a duo performance today. They do one once a month and it’s always a hit. All our regular customers come out to see it happening and they bring friends with them.”

This _was_ the first that Keith had ever heard of it. Even though he worked for Altea, he didn’t bother following any of their social media or whatever flyers they printed and pasted around the city. If an event was going to happen, then he would find out when work started. However, now that he learned that _Shiro_ was going to be part of the main attraction, Keith was interested. Whenever it involved Shiro, Keith found that he was interested more than ever.

“Is it that amazing of a performance?” Keith questioned. He tried to keep his interest at a minimum, but he knew he was failing.

Matt grinned at him. “Aw, do you really want to see Shiro dressed lewdly and dancing that badly?”

Was it that obvious? Keith was sure that it was written on his face. No matter how much he tried, he wouldn’t be able to wipe it off—it was like a tattoo. “Maybe. Are they going to practice it one more time?”

“Not at all. They’ve worked on this routine for weeks,” Matt answered. “The only ones who’ve seen the performance are me, Allura, and Pidge. But wait until you see all the videos that are going to be posted about it. Your jaw is going to drop, and you’ll need to wear your jacket around your waist to hide your boner.”

Keith frowned. He wasn’t satisfied with that kind of answer. He could accept that they weren’t going to perform it one last time. After all, Nyma and Shiro needed a break after doing it for so long. It wouldn’t do either of them much good if they injured themselves before the performance or even during the final showing for it.

He would have been happy with even a _video_ of the performance. That would have been enough to tide him over until after tonight. Matt wasn’t going to give it to Keith that easily.

“Keith! Can you bring me a cup of ice water?” Pidge shouted from her DJ booth.

Asking Pidge for footage of the practice session was like making a deal with the devil. Keith would owe her for _years_ if he was to ask this of her. But he thirsted for the way Shiro’s muscles rippled whenever he pulled himself up the pole and how he looked whenever he performed. Keith could never take his eyes off him, watching as he gave everyone the performance of their life. If he didn’t ask Pidge for the footage, then he would regret it.

Keith was quick to fill a cup with ice and water. He escaped from behind the bar and nearly tripped over his own feet to get to Pidge. Her hand was outstretched towards him—her eyes never left her soundboard. It was only when Keith didn’t hand it to her right away did Pidge finally look at him.

“Do you mind?” Pidge questioned. She sounded annoyed, but Keith didn’t care.

“Do you record everyone when they practice?” Keith asked.

“I always do,” she answered. “Allura wants the footage to be played back to the performers. That way, she can point out what needs work and they can look back on the video to see what they can change.” She reached for the glass, but Keith held it further away. “I have them all archived, man. Now, what’s this about?”

Keith licked his lips. “Do you have the video for Shiro and Nyma’s performance for tonight?”

Pidge raised an eyebrow at him. Her face split into a grin. “Oh? Did Matt tell you about their little act tonight? I bet your pants get all nice and tight just thinking about him in some revealing outfit, climbing up that pole with all those glistening muscles.”

It sometimes bothered Keith that Pidge was good at reading people as much as she was good at reading computers. “Pidge, are you going to show me the video or not?”

“What’s it worth to you?”

Keith sighed and lowered his head. He knew that it would come to this. Pidge always held things at an arm’s length away. It was her devious plan to get others to do exactly what she wanted. Keith had often fallen right into her hand—Lance, and Hunk, too. He stopped counting how much he owed Pidge. She still came around to collect every now and then, and he had no choice but to fall into whatever plan Pidge had planned for him.

“Keeeeeiiiiith,” Pidge said, “I’m waiting.”

There wasn’t anything else that Keith could give to her. He wracked his mind, but he couldn’t think of _anything._ She already had most of him and his spare time. What more could she want? “Are you really going to do this to me, Pidge?”

The grin on her face was all the answer he needed.

Keith almost slammed her glass down onto her booth. “Nevermind.”

Pidge didn’t seem bothered by his frustration. She picked the glass up and sipped at it. Keith turned his back to her and walked back to the bar. He avoided looking at Matt.

There was a knot in his stomach and he was frustrated more at himself than at Pidge. Keith should have known that she wouldn’t have handed the video over without a fight. She was the same person who had Keith secretly doing her weekend chores for a month just for the answer sheet to a test. That was a tiring month and Keith _still_ managed to fail the test.

He ran a hand down his face, wondering why he bothered to let his hope delude him like this.

* * *

The moment the doors opened, a different crowd filed into Altea.

After working here for so long, Keith got used to who were regular customers and who weren’t. Regular customers greeted him by name and were openly friendly with him. While he didn’t indulge them with any information they didn’t need to know, he got used to them being around and talking to him. Those type of customers were mixed in with others he had never seen before. They weren’t rude to him, but they did rush him for their drinks.

If today wasn’t so busy, Keith would have a few words for them. At least Matt was nearby to help defuse the situation and calm him down—or at least try to calm him. It wasn’t easy.

There were three different cameras aimed at the stage. No one was playing games when it came to this performance. Wherever Keith went to deliver drinks, everyone was talking about it. They were excited, and their energy filled the club. It helped to motivate everyone else to do their best to cater everyone. Lance seemed to have more of a pep in his step, Hunk was cooking faster, and Pidge was playing all the good songs.

It didn’t work on Keith, though.

He had gotten over Pidge’s attitude with him about seeing Shiro’s performance. After all, it wasn’t a big deal. Keith knew he would see it in a couple of hours online if he went hunting for it. Until then, he could survive. A new frustration quickly appeared as they worked on readying the club.

While he helped Matt set the bar up and bring extra seats up from the basement, Keith had hoped he would get a chance to see Shiro. He knew Shiro lived in the basement and he passed his room often. All it would take was a small knock on the door, a few moments of his time to talk to Shiro and wish him luck. However, every time he convinced himself to do it, Allura was rushing Keith to be quick about his work. They only had so much time to make sure things were ready. Keith had to walk away from the door with his tail between his legs.

He held onto a hope that he would see Shiro, though. A day had never gone by when he didn’t see Shiro multiple times before the club opened. He was always as busy as Keith, helping in little ways under Allura’s commands. It never happened, and Keith tried not to let his disappointment show. He was sure that Matt wasn’t convinced. Whenever it came to his feelings with Shiro, Matt was able to see through him like he was cellophane. It was a little annoying.

Keith did his best to keep up with the orders filing in. He tried to keep his frustrations at bay, but he wasn’t sure if he convinced the customers or not. Matt assured him that he was fine. The customers weren’t paying attention to him, anyway. They were more focused on getting a good seat near the stage for Shiro and Nyma’s performance. They were excited to see it and Keith found jealously was like a hot stone in his gut for their luck.

“Keith! Pidge just ordered a drink. Will you bring it to her?” Allura asked. She pointed to a tray behind the counter, topped with a strange green drink that Keith had never seen before. “She’s getting a little testy without it.”

Keith eyed the drink, unsure of what to make of it. He didn’t know that Pidge drank in the first place. He had been here for two weeks and it always surprised him. “Why me? Wouldn’t she prefer Matt or you?”

Allura gave him a look. “She requested you. Now, get to it and be back soon.”

The groan that threatened to escape him was cut off shortly by Keith’s sheer will. The last thing he needed was Allura to serve his head on a platter. Besides, he shouldn’t take out his bitter mood on her or Pidge. It wasn’t their fault that he hadn’t paid attention to what events were happening in the club.

Taking the tray, Keith bobbed and weaved his way through the crowd until he reached Pidge’s booth. Pidge snatched the drink in her hand before he was two feet in front of her. Keith was surprised she didn’t fall off it. It would have created some excitement in the club. You know, other than the half-naked dancers. Somehow, Keith knew that no one would pay Pidge’s fall any attention. Their eyes would still be trained on the stage, devoid of any dancers, waiting for the main event.

Keith turned to leave, but Pidge grabbed him by the back of his shirt. He rolled his eyes and slumped over, moving closer until they could hear each other speak. “What do you want?” he asked.

Pidge motioned towards the stage. When Keith didn’t catch what she meant, she rolled her eyes and pulled her headphones off. “Go to the stage. Watch Shiro’s performance.”

What?

Keith stuck his pinky finger into his ear, trying to dislodge whatever imaginary thing that was there. He couldn’t have heard Pidge correctly. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ll cover for you if Allura asks. Just go before it starts.”

This still didn’t seem right. After all, Pidge denied him a chance of just seeing _practice_ videos of Shiro’s performance. Why would she help him now? “What’s the catch?” Keith asked after a beat.

Pidge feigned hurt, placing a hand on her chest and recoiling away from him. “Why would you think _I_ , an innocent little girl, would want anything from _you_?”

He stared even harder at her, waiting for her to stop playing games and be honest.

She did so with a shrug of her shoulders. Pidge wrapped her lips around the crazy straw her drink had and smiled at him. “Don’t worry. Your cost was covered by a very generous donor. Which is _great,_ because I’ve been trying to get this person in the palm of my hand for _months._ Take it or leave it, Kogane, I won’t lose anything if you don’t take it.”

This was a trap. Even though Pidge told him that his “fee” was covered, Keith couldn’t believe it. He would take the opportunity and then Pidge would find him at school. She’d have a box full of things for him to do and Keith would need to do them. Right now, he didn’t trust her words and no one in their group could blame him. But Keith _wanted_ to see Shiro’s performance. He had wanted to see it since he learned it was going to happen.

If Pidge really came after him for a “fee”, would it really be that bad? He always knew that Shiro would be his downfall.

Keith shook her extended hand. “Deal. Just don’t ruin my face when the time comes. I still want it to look nice for Shiro.”

Pidge scoffed at this, but Keith wasn’t joking. “Whatever I do to your face would be an improvement. Now go.”

He didn’t need to be told twice.

Leaving the tray at the Pidge’s booth, Keith dived into the crowd. He stayed as far away from the bar as he could, making sure Allura didn’t catch wind of him. If she saw him before he had a chance to find a spot to stand at, it would be all over.

Keith found a spot a few rows away from the stage. It wasn’t the best view, but he could see what would happen. He was grateful that no one taller slipped in front of him. He didn’t want to imagine the kind of fight that would break out if he missed a chance to see the performance. Allura would find him and Keith would have a battered face, one that might scare Shiro away.

The lights dimmed and from the corner of his eye, Keith could see Nyma and Shiro take their position at one of the poles on the end. Music started to play, and it threw Keith for a loop. He knew the song well from when he was studying for a test. It was a good song, but it was different from the usual norm of Altea. It wasn’t sexy or suggestive compared to the music Shiro and Nyma usually used.

The lights adjusted to their full brightness and the performance started.

Keith understood then why the music was picked.

Usual Altea shows were more sexual and doubled to entice clients into spending a night or a couple of hours with them. This show was more artistic in the way they moved around the poles like carousel horses, their limbs entangled together. Keith tried to keep his jaw shut as they sped up and then slowed down. He knew that Nyma was strong, but this performance only enforced it when she held Shiro against the pole with only her upper body.

Around him, the crowd cheered and roared for the two. They got louder with every new trick that they did. Keith couldn’t hear them anymore, though. Their voices were a small buzz in his ears that he didn’t mind hearing. He was lost in the fluidity of their movement, the spell breaking only when they fumbled once. It didn’t stop them, and they continued like nothing had happened. The crowd didn’t seem to mind or even notice it, lost in the spell that had fallen upon them.

By the end of it, no one was in their seats. They were either standing up to applaud or holler for them. Money ran down on them in streams, wadded up bills soaring over their shoulders and landing on the stage. Keith reached into his pocket and pulled out all the tips that he had made that night. It was a lot—around $50—and Shiro wouldn’t approve of him doing this, but how would he tell? There didn’t seem to be any noticeable marks on his bills to tell that they were his. They could easily assume to be the charitable donation of someone else in the crowd.

Without thinking another thought about it, Keith squeezed his way through the crowd and tossed his pile onto the stage. He disappeared back into the swarm of people before Nyma or Shiro could point him out.

 

 

 

 

Things had calmed down as the night dragged on and Keith was grateful for it. He didn’t think he would be able to handle another hour of that crowd. They were more demanding than usual, pushing their way through and getting irritated at him if he didn’t tend to them quickly enough. Matt and Allura did their best to help him, sneaking in to deal with the more irritable customers, but it seemed like it was too much.

Now, Keith was starting to see more of Lance drifting through the crowd, delivering food to the booths or upstairs. Matt was slumped against the bar with his head resting in the crook of his arms. He said he had a headache, but Keith wasn’t so sure if he believed him. Allura was elsewhere talking to a few clients, watching an alien that had tentacles jutting out of its back dancing. Even Pidge looked exhausted and had switched to more mellow music for the rest of the night.

And Shiro? He was off with a client upstairs.

Correction: he was with his second client of the night.

Keith wondered how many clients Shiro got a night. He had seen other workers, Nyma included, go up and down those stairs all night, but sometimes they spent most of their nights down in the club. Shiro, on the other hand, was mostly upstairs doing God knows what.

_Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it._

Keith scraped his nails through his scalp and sighed. Exhaustion was starting to set in and he was more than ready to crawl into bed and sleep in. He contemplated asking Allura if he could leave early now that things had died down, but then a light started flashing beneath the bar.

He stared at the blinking light and got on his knees to inspect it. It was dark and he had no reason to get down this low on the bar, so he never knew that it was there. There were six other bulbs, each one labeled with a number. Number Five continuously flashed and Keith didn’t know what to make of it.

“Uh, Matt? There’s a light flashing here,” Keith said, lifting his head up.

Matt’s head shot up from his arms. There looked to be panic on his face. “Which room is it?”

“Um…” Keith looked back under the bar to double check. “Number Five.”

Without so much of a warning or an apology to the people at the bar, Matt hopped over it. Coran met him at the stairs and they ran up them together.

Keith was _lost_. He had no idea what had happened or what was going on. He stared at the stairs, expecting them to reveal the answer to him, but they were silent. However, when he looked around the club, he could see how tense Pidge and Allura were. It made Keith wonder how often Matt and Coran pulled acrobatic tricks just to run up to the rooms.

Minutes had slowly passed before Coran and Matt came back down the stairs. Keith stared at the man they dragged down with them, looking disheveled with his pants unbuttoned and hanging off his hips. Shiro was next to come down the stairs, closing a purple robe around his body.

He looked like he had gone through a horrific experience and Keith’s heart ached to see him like that.

Allura shot up from her seat like a rocket and walked over to the little crowd. Shiro stepped closer to her and whispered something into her ear. Keith had never seen her face twist into a disgusted and disappointed look before. At one point, Pidge had lowered the music until it was only a pulse sounding throughout the club.

Crossing her arms, Allura stepped closer to the man detained by Matt and Coran. “I’m very disappointed in you, Mr. Pinkman. You know the rules as well as someone who’s been here since the beginning. Your patronage has always been appreciated here at Altea and we had always hoped you would be with us for a long time. It seems that you have had other plans.”

She snapped her fingers and Matt pulled a pink card out from his own pocket. Even from where Keith stood, he could see the golden script writing that spelled Altea’s name. “You won’t be back to Altea again. Consider yourself lucky that we don’t call the cops,” Allura said, taking the card in her hand. “Get him out of here.”

Keith eyed the man as Coran and Matt pushed him through the building and to the doors, but his attention was quickly brought back to Shiro. He watched as Allura brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. Her lips were moving, but Keith couldn’t hear what she was saying. Pidge had raised the volume again, trying to cater to the others who were still around, making sure that their moods would be lifted and stay that way.

He thought about leaving the bar and checking on Shiro himself. Allura was already bringing him down the stairs, her arm wrapped around his waist.

There went his chance.

Keith cradled his chin in his hands and pouted, tapping his finger against his cheek. Matt returned, looking grumpier than Keith did. He fumbled around with things behind the bar, picking things up and putting them back down. Every now and then, Keith could hear words slip from him. Words like _“a bat in every room”_ which were followed up by _“then Nyma would go hardcore and break someone’s knees again.”_

Keith didn’t want to know the context of what “again” meant.

“Have room back here for a third?”

Keith nearly jumped out of his skin when Shiro slipped beside him. He stared at his dark jeans and a tight t-shirt, realizing that this was the most civil looking clothes that he had ever seen Shiro in. He liked the way he looked in them and his mind drifted to what it would be like to go out with him and away from the club.

“Course we do, buddy,” Matt said, reaching past Keith to grab Shiro’s shoulder. “Just don’t hog all the tips for yourself. We know you’re hot, but you’re not as hot as me.”

Keith snorted. “Are you for real?”

“That sounds like fighting words, Kogane.”

Their playful banter went back and forth for a while. It brought a smile to Shiro’s face, but Keith couldn’t remember if he laughed at it. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, but not an ounce of laughter fell from his lips. Which was a shame because Keith _loved_ to hear his laughter.

Keith wondered if he had done something wrong or if it had anything to do with the marks on Shiro’s neck.

He tried not to look at them.

* * *

Keith hated the somber mood that fell on everyone in the club.

Word of what happened to Shiro spread like wildfire to everyone who worked there. It made sense that it should have. After all, the client may have been banned, but they could always skulk around the club. It was an underlying fear that he might try and grab one of them up. If he had the balls to do whatever he did to Shiro, who knew what else he could do.

It was a terrifying thought, and everyone was thinking about it.

It clouded their minds as they worked on cleaning things up. Keith had already been downstairs in the kitchen and it had been suffocating down there. The club area wasn’t doing any better. Matt was still angry over what happened and Allura was irritable, which only grew worse with every line of dirt she couldn’t pick up.

Pidge dropped her broom with a huff. “Are those the dishes that you’re bringing to Coran?”

Keith looked at the washbasin in his hands. “Uh, yeah?”

She grabbed at the edges and tugged at it. “I’ll bring it to him.”

That wasn’t happening. This trick had been played on him before. Keith tugged it back to himself. “No way. I’m already in your debt as it is. Any more and I’m sure you’re going to take my kidney to use in some sick experiment.”

“ _Keith_.” Pidge hissed his name through her teeth and tugged the washbasin towards herself again. She nodded her head towards the bar, insistently until Keith finally looked. Shiro had been sitting there since the bar closed, hunched over a drink he barely touched. _“Go_ to him.”

His fingers released the basin before he had a chance to think it over. Pidge was already halfway to the stairs with it.

Keith rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath in. His steps were slow as he started towards Shiro. What was he supposed to say in situations like this? What was the _right_ thing that Keith could say to Shiro after what happened? Keith still couldn’t say he knew, but he had put some context clues together. He had been Pidge’s science experiment enough to know the difference between bruises and hickeys.

He cleared his throat. Shiro turned to look at him and he smiled, but it was just a ghost of his usual smile. Keith would have loved nothing more than to see the smile that shone like the stars. “Can I sit here?”

“Go ahead. You know that I’m always happy to have you keep me company,” Shiro answered, his cheek pressed against his knuckles.

Keith’s heart did a little dance at that, despite willing it to remain calm. Shiro had this way of making him feel like a cheerleader cheering on her boyfriend at a football game.

Climbing onto the stool, Keith sighed and turned his face to the ceiling. “What a day…”

Shiro scoffed. “Tell me about it…”

Keith said nothing else after that.

They fell into a comfortable silence—Keith staring into the mirror and Shiro staring into his drink. Any other time, he would have brought leftover snacks up from the kitchen to share with him. By now they would have been thrown away, deemed too spoiled for anyone to eat. Which was a shame, because he was sure Hunk had made the cannolis that Shiro liked a lot. His reaction to his first eaten cannoli was precious and burned in Keith’s mind.

_“You’ve never had a cannoli before? What rock have you been living under?”_

_“A sad and desolate one, apparently. Give me another one.”_

Keith bit back the smile that threatened to show itself. He would have loved to bring one or two up for Shiro. Only so that he could see him smile, even if it only lasted for mere minutes.

He looked in the mirror and stared at Shiro’s neck. It was getting worse as the night drew on. The more he looked at it, the more it started to look like a hand. The idea that someone laid a hand like that on Shiro made Keith sick. His stomach twisted and turned itself inside out.

If Keith had known what the alarm was like, he would have been there. Before Matt would even know that the alarm was pushed, he would have been over the bar and up the stairs. There would be no chance to calm him down, no one around to tell him that he should let someone else handle things. His anger would have been felt throughout the club and they would all know that someone was going to get hurt _badly_ once Keith put his hands on them.

“Keith, sweetie, I love your face so much that I want to sit on it,” Shiro said, “but please stop staring at me.”

Keith blinked once and shook his head. Shiro was staring at him through the mirror, a playful smile on his face. It took a few seconds longer for him to realize what was said to him. Red bloomed across his face and Keith saw the entire process through the mirror. How it spread up from his neck to his cheeks and the tips of his ear. He buried his face in his hands and groaned, loud enough that everyone else in the club could hear it.

That was embarrassing, even more so to admit that Shiro was _good_ at that. He would throw in a flirtatious comment that Keith wouldn’t expect and take him by surprise. Keith figured that he got twisted enjoyment from seeing him turn as red as his favorite jacket. If that was the case, then he could have thought of another activity for them to do that would make Keith red.

Running his hands down his face, Keith wracked his mind for another thread of conversation. His train of thought went south along with his blood to pool between his legs and he didn’t need that right now. “What are the security measures for Altea?”

Shiro looked at him and regarded him with a careful look. Keith wasn’t sure if he was questioning if he trusted him or not. He cleared his throat through and stretched his body out, raising his arms high above his head.

“There are six rooms upstairs.” Shiro grabbed a bowl of mixed nuts and dumped six of them on the counter. “We placed buttons on the headboards of every bed. One press and one of the light bulbs light up.” Shiro replaced an ordinary peanut with a red one. “It’s a silent alarm that goes off behind the bar,” he knocked on the hardwood of the bar top, “in the kitchen, Allura’s office, and the breakroom. When it does, no matter which room it is, we’ll know that something is off.”

Shiro rolled a peanut around between his thumb and forefinger. “Sometimes we’re not so lucky to get to the room in time… But no matter what, that member is immediately banned from Altea. We don’t call the cops, but that’s something we should probably start doing soon.”

“So, every member has that card and it gets deactivated once Allura runs it through the system,” Keith supplied. Shiro nodded and Keith continued to speak, “What’s stopping them from signing up for a new card with a different name?”

“Beezer.” Shiro laughed at Keith’s twisted and disgusted face. “I know he gives you trouble, Keith, but Beezer’s good at his job. We don’t have to ban clients often, but he does his job at keeping the riffraff away from us and he’s _good_ at it.”

Keith snorted. “He’s labeled me as riffraff, then. We should probably get him fixed.”

“Give him a bit more time, Keith. He’ll warm up to you.”

Keith snorted again but he left it at that.

The comfortable silence they had once was different now. It felt heavy between them, like a rag that had been soaking in gasoline. One heavily heated word would ignite it and a rift Keith might not be able to jump over would appear. That was one thing he didn’t want to happen. Shiro was the deciding factor on whether to work at Altea or not. If it weren’t for him, Keith wouldn’t have even _thought_ about working here.

And they might have never met.

He turned to Shiro, turning his entire body to him. Keith tried to put on the one sincere smile he had in his arsenal. “Hey, do you wanna get out of here and get some breakfast? Dinner?” He rolled his eyes, trying to figure out what one would call a meal at this time of day. “Brinner?”

Shiro slowly turned his head towards him. There was surprise written on his face. His eyes were a little wide and he looked skeptical. He looked like he wasn’t sure if what was happening was real or now. Shiro opened his mouth and snapped it shut again, ending what he wanted to say before it was said.

“Hasn’t anyone ever asked you out to eat before?”

Shiro gave him a sad smile. “Sad, but no.”

“That won’t do.” Keith jumped off his seat and grabbed Shiro’s bicep. His tug was small, enticing Shiro to step down and follow him. “Come on. I’ll take you to one of my favorite places to eat.”

 

 

 

 

“I feel like I’m going to get tetanus from sitting here.”

“You have all your shots, right?”

 _“God_ , I hope so.”

Despite their jibes, the place was clean, and Keith knew it was.

Not many burger joints still existed on Earth—even less on Fusuna—but there were a few who liked the 1950’s Earth aesthetic and built businesses to reflect that. Keith stumbled into the place once late at night and fell in love with how their burgers and fries were made. Beef that was juicy with a bit of crunch, fries that had his mouth watering just from the smell. It was his go-to spot for comfort food.

Keith ran his fingers over the blue leather of the booth, watching Shiro look at everything there. People liked the black and white checkered backdrop of the counter, the low hanging light fixtures, the tiny tiles that made up the floor and being able to look into the kitchen to see their food being made. He wasn’t in love with it, but Keith liked it well enough. Things felt simpler when he was here.

A gooey waitress walked to their table, leaving a thin trail of pink slime behind her. Keith could see right through her body like rose-tinted glasses. Her hair was a lighter, cotton candy shade from the rest of her body, twisted into curls around her head. She spoke in a high-pitched voice that was sweeter than sugar, “What can I get you and your friend, Keith?”

Before Shiro could open his menu and hide his questioning look, Keith snatched it from his hand. “Get me my usual for me and Shiro, Terzi, and a ‘shake one in the hay’ for me—”

Shiro laughed, tilting his head back. “What is _that_?!”

“It’s a strawberry milkshake. They go by the old school names here,” Keith answered. It felt nice to hear Shiro laugh again. It always sounded like bells ringing in his ear. He felt lighter whenever he heard it.

Shiro nodded his head and Keith was glad to see a happy smile on his face. “Know what? Make that _two_ ‘shakes in the hay’, please.”

Terzi smiled. “I’ll get right on that.” She took the menus and winked at Keith, oozing her way back to the counter.

Keith sighed and slumped into his seat. Across the way, Shiro had his chin nested in the palm of his hand. His smile hadn’t wavered, and Keith couldn’t begin to explain how happy it was to see it again. He tilted his head to the side and chuckled. “What are you so smiley about?”

“You seem to be on a first name basis with the staff here,” Shiro answered. “How often are you in here?”

“Often,” Keith answered. He leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table. “I like coming here when the apartment’s too stuffy to study in.” Keith patted the table. “I settle down in this booth, order some food, plug my headphones in, and I’m _gone_. Terzi’s the night waitress here and the night cook Bruno is good at what he does. They’ll let me stay here as long as I want and even give me a discount.”

He gave Shiro a toothy grin. “So long as I keep bringing in some business for them.”

Shiro laughed, bowing his head. “So, _that’s_ what I’m here for. You’re here so you can keep getting your discount and give them some customers.”

Keith held his hands up in surrender. “You caught me.”

“You need to work on being slicker, then. Some people can read right through you.”

“I thought the point of getting slicked up was so that people can do exactly that. Just, you know, with something hard and stiff.”

If Shiro had been drinking something, he would have spat it back out. Shiro buried his hands in his face, fighting down the laughter that shook his shoulders. Keith couldn’t recall a time where he saw him laugh like this. _This_ was a Shiro that Keith wanted to see more often. He wanted to see Shiro laughing and happy, not the gloomy shell he was almost half an hour ago.

“Wow…” He wiped away at the tears gathering in his eyes. “That’s… It’s been a long time since I last laughed like that…” Shiro sat back in his seat. “So, what are you majoring in the university?”

The air between them was filled with conversation, topics being formed and finished in a matter of seconds, spoken between bites of burgers and fries. When Keith gave him a bit of information about himself, Shiro told him something about the club or something about himself, too. Keith mentioned that he was majoring in art and Shiro told him that he lived in a small town back on Earth before moving to Fusuna at age eighteen. Shiro didn’t share much information, but the smallest bit of it was enough for Keith. He enjoyed learning about him.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Keith sucked a long sip from his second milkshake. “Rolo and Nyma are _dating_?”

Shiro nodded his head. There was a fry hanging from his mouth as he chewed. “They’ve been dating since before Altea was a thing.”

“Damn… Lance is going to be really upset when he finds out about it.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” At Keith’s questioning look, Shiro smiled. “There’s a girl at Altea who likes him.”

“Who?”

“Ah, now _that_ I can’t tell you.” Shiro popped the last bite of his burger into his mouth. “If I do, that means I put my own head on the chopping block. After that, well…” He winked at him. “I might have to kill you to save my own skin.”

Keith nodded his head. “Understandable. Thanks for being honest about going to kill me.” He leaned out of his seat and looked at the counter. “You heard that Terzi?”

Terzi laughed. “I didn’t hear anything, Keith. If you do randomly disappear, we’ll leave your order on your grave every year on the anniversary of your disappearance.”

“Geez. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Shiro had been laughing during Keith’s conversation with Terzi. His face was red, and tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. He doubled over, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he pressed his forehead into the table.

He was having a nice time. Shiro was enjoying himself and that was enough for Keith.

Shiro sat back up and took a deep breath. He reached for his shake and drained it in one gulp. “This was…” He rubbed his face and looked around the diner. Keith didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for Shiro to finish his sentence. Shiro sighed. “This was nice…”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, then,” Keith answered.

“Yeah.”

Keith looked over at the clock, seeing it drift closer and closer to 6 AM. It was getting late and Allura would be wondering where Shiro was by now. Shiro hadn’t touched his phone (if he had one) the entire time they’ve been out. He could only begin to imagine the messages and calls that might have blown up his phone. It made Keith feel a little uncomfortable to know that he was the source of it.

He ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s getting late. Should we head back?”

Shiro looked at the clock. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before sighing. “Yeah. I think we should.”

Keith twiddled his thumbs and stared at his hands. “Can I… walk you back to Altea?”

Shiro’s hand covered his and Keith slowly looked up at him. “Course you can,” Shiro answered.

Quickly, before Shiro could offer to pay for it, Keith paid for their meal and held the door open for him.

They were silent as they walked through the city back to Altea. Keith kept his distance from Shiro, his mind racing ahead of him like a rabbit. The cool spring air hitting him in the face felt like a slap of the truth.

For Keith, it was unusual for him to crush on someone as hard as he had with Shiro. Most of his crushes were a slow descent into an attraction like sap running down the bark of a tree. With Shiro, though, it was a snowball effect. It started as a tiny spark that swiftly turned into a fire as the days went by. The fire grew into a destroying blaze after tonight.

It was a little frightening. What was Keith supposed to _do_ with emotions like these? Was he meant to wait them out until it dwindled to a spark? That spark would soon die out, right? Then they could carry on like normal friends instead of Keith pining for something that may never be.

Rolo and Nyma may have been able to make it work, but Shiro and Keith? He didn’t mean to have any doubts, but Keith had them.

“Hey, are you okay?” Shiro asked. He stopped walking and Keith saw the wrought iron gates of Altea. When had they gotten here so quickly?

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” Keith answered. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine.” Shiro ran his fingers through his hair, white bangs falling into place against his forehead. “Thanks for walking me back. This was a good end after the bad night I’ve had.”

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I know… doing this isn’t exactly easy sometimes. I’m sure you’ve had weird things people have asked you to do. It’s nice to get out of the club and do something out of the norm—”

Shiro kissed his own fingers and pressed them to Keith’s lips, silencing him instantly. “You’re cute. Good night, Keith.”

Keith didn’t know what he could say to that. He watched with an open jaw as Shiro walked into Altea, waving at him before the doors closed.

Keith was screwed. There was no denying it. He was royally _screwed_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Nyma's performance is based on this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMEr2tCeCXI), just with their own rendition of the outfits. I didn't get technical on that front. Feel free to mute the Melanie Martinez song, but please check out the performance! It's really wonderful.
> 
> Please let me know if you see any errors or hints that it's winter time in the story. I had written it before deciding to make it spring, so I had to make quite a few changes. Let me know if it's off and thank you so much for reading. ♥
> 
> Come check me out on [twitter](https://twitter.com/val_hellaa/). ♥


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a big work in progress! Back in November, it wasn't up to par with what I wanted it to be. I worked on it until it was right and then it all clicked into pace. And before I forget, thank you so much to Kay ([mylittleskeletons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylittleskeletons/works) | [skeletense](https://twitter.com/skeletense)) for beta-ing this chapter for me. Thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you. ♥
> 
> Check out Kay's works, because they are completely beautiful. ♥

Shiro had invaded Keith’s sleep and made the nights following his indirect kiss restless. Too often had he woken up with his dick painfully hard and a dream still dancing in his mind. It took what little willpower he had left not to touch it and hope it went away. There were nights when it never did, and he’d fall asleep ashamed of himself for jerking off to the thought of Shiro pressed up against him.

How pathetic was he?

Every morning Keith would stare at himself in the mirror and berate himself for even humoring his fantasies. He wondered how he would be able to face Shiro after rubbing one out to him so many times. The idea of facing him had Keith’s face burning red. He would knock items into the sink in his fit and dig his fingernails into his scalp. Keith couldn’t keep this up. Something had to give, and it was either the job or his attraction to Shiro.

It clouded his thoughts wherever he went and even started to interfere with his school work. Keith would go through the school days in a fog, taking notes on autopilot, giving robotic answers that weren’t correct. Only Professor Iverson bothered to tell him off, screaming at him in front of the classroom and demanding he stand outside for the rest of the class. That only served to pull Keith’s mind further into the fog, choking it until it shriveled up and died.

It even followed him to Altea, but it turned into a quiet hum. At least the thoughts didn’t bother to ruin his work there. If they did, then Allura would join in on Professor Iverson screaming at him. However, it made Keith feel that they were hyper-aware of the situation and surroundings. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“Keith, taste this and let me know if you think it tastes good.”

He nearly missed catching the bottle Matt threw at him. Keith unscrewed the top and took a sip of the drink. The bite of his drink felt like a poisonous snake bit his tongue. He coughed and doubled over. It was so horrid, and he wondered if Matt had done it to get rid of him. “What _is_ this?”

Matt grinned. “Pappy van Winkle.”

Keith tried to keep his eyes in his head, but it was hard. Right here in his hand was a bottle of expensive ass bourbon. He felt like his hand shouldn’t even be _holding_ it. “Where’d you _get_ it?”

“Allura ordered it for when we celebrate Altea’s one-year anniversary. It’s good, right? Take another sip.”

And he did, just to try and drown the voice that dared to make itself known. It was the voice that told him to find Shiro and _do_ something with him. Keith figured the more he drank, the more he could be able to hold back the emotions burning a hole in his stomach.

Allura slipped up to the bar, placing her hands on the counter. Keith nearly choked on his second sip. “And just what do you think you are doing?”

Keith pulled the bottle away from his lips and licked them. “Matt said I could.”

She turned her scrutinizing gaze to Matt. He withered instantly, turning towards the mirror. “Need I remind you that it was an expensive bottle for a special occasion?”

Matt held his hands in the air, looking at her in the mirror. “Hey, Keith seemed a little down in the dumps. I was just trying to cheer him up.”

“Don’t lie to her like that,” Keith scolded through gritted teeth.

Allura rolled her eyes. “Put the bourbon away and get back to cleaning. I want this place to be nice and pretty for tonight.”

Matt muttered something under his breath, but Keith didn’t catch it.

He looked at the club, watching everyone do their part. There was never much to do before they opened. Most, if not all, of the cleaning was done after closing hours. Right now, they were just bored and looking for something to do. Hunk had cleaned those tables last night, but there he was with Lance, scrubbing them down as if there was a stain no one else could see. Keith didn’t know where Pidge and Coran were. Beezer and Rolo were gone, too. It would explain why the club was so quiet.

Keith liked it this quiet, but he realized that it also allowed his thoughts to manifest into something huge. He felt like he was being assaulted by his thoughts about Shiro. Sometimes, his dreams would appear out of nowhere and wrap themselves around him, coiling tightly like they were a snake. The last thing he needed was to pop a boner behind the bar. Matt would never let him hear the end of it if that was the case.

He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths. What he needed to focus on was the peace and quiet of the club. If he focused on that, he wouldn’t need to think about Shiro and how much he wanted their bodies pressed together.

It was nearly impossible.

_“Damn it, Nyma, again?!”_

And just like that, the sound of Shiro’s voice pulled him back.

Keith’s eyes wandered to the stairs, waiting for something—some _one_ to run up them. Nyma was the one who ran up the stairs, though, wrapped up in a purple robe that belonged to Shiro. Keith tried not to think about how well he knew that. He had only seen it _once_ and that was days ago. But the thoughts of Shiro wrapped up in it filled his mind and it brought a smile to his face. Keith would have enjoyed nothing more than to see Shiro lounging in bed, wearing nothing but that robe, half opened as it waited for him.

Nyma climbed onto a barstool and smiled sheepishly at them all. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

Allura groaned. She massaged her temples with her fingers, refusing to look Nyma in the eye. “Please tell me you didn’t place another egg in him…”

“It’s infertile.”

“That’s not the point, Nyma.”

Keith wasn’t sure what he was more surprised by. The fact that Nyma had laid an egg in Shiro or that Shiro _does_ take an egg up the ass on occasion. The emotions he tried to dull returned like flaming boomerang, setting him ablaze. New thoughts filled his mind and Keith bit his lip. He tried not to think about how Shiro would sound beneath him or straddling his hips. Keith tried not to imagine nails running down his back in ecstasy or the way his thighs would feel squeezing his hips as he fucked him harder and faster.

He groaned and buried his face in his hands, hoping to hide how red he was. If he had gotten an erection from those thoughts alone, he hoped that no one was paying him any attention. He wouldn’t be able to explain that one and Allura wouldn’t send him home because of it. Keith peeked through his fingers just as Shiro came striding over to the bar, boxer shorts clinging to his hips. Sweat clung to his body and the white of his hair stuck to his forehead. Right now, Shiro looked like a sex god.

_This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening._

Right now, this was starting to feel like Keith’s dirtiest wet dream. At any moment, he expected Shiro to pull him over the bar and fuck his mouth in front of everyone to see. It wouldn’t have ended there, either. Right in front of everyone, Shiro would take him, muttering dirty words in his ear, telling Keith that he belonged to him and _only_ him. He swallowed the moan that dared to show itself, avoiding Matt’s suspicious stare.

Shiro trapped Nyma against the bar, his arms on either side of her. Keith wouldn’t have called it a trap and it was clear that he didn’t mean any harm. She didn’t even flinch when Shiro stormed up to her. Instead, she looked smug, swinging the robe’s rope around. Keith supposed he would have done the same if he was in her position. In fact, he would have _loved_ to be where Nyma was right now.

“You’re killing me here, Nyma,” Shiro said, his voice dangerously low. “You are _killing_ me.”

Nyma reached up and patted Shiro’s cheek, pink nails glinting in the light of the club. “You’ll be fine, Shiro. Besides, you asked if you could help me. You knew what you were getting in to.”

Shiro groaned and he was not alone as Allura harmonized with him. “And how long will it be inside him, then?” Allura asked. Her fingers were still pressed against her temple. She looked more agitated about the situation than Shiro did.

“In a couple of hours. At the most, later tonight.”

Shiro pushed against the bar and started for the stairs again, groaning loudly to the ceiling. Allura looked even more stressed, burying her face in her hand. Nyma, however, still looked proud of herself over what she had done. Keith wondered how many times she had done this to Shiro. It seemed to be often enough if this was their collective reaction to it.

Altea seemed to have its normal days just like any other club.

“He’ll be working with us tonight then,” Matt commented. At Keith’s incredulous look, he grinned. “Shiro doesn’t like working the rooms when Nyma’s got an egg in him. He’s usually back here in the bar with me when it happens.” He tossed a towel at Keith’s face. Keith didn’t even stand a chance at catching it. “Is that going to be a problem, puppy?”

“Puppy?” Keith asked with a sneer.

Matt shrugged his shoulders in response. “Just try not to get _too_ distracted. Shiro’s hot, but there’s work that needs to be done back here. Don’t lose your focus.”

“I don’t… I don’t lose my focus when he’s around,” Keith defended. He couldn’t even convince himself that it was true.

A chuckle rang out through the club. Keith looked over at everyone and found them staring at him. If he couldn’t convince himself, there was no way he would be able to convince his coworkers. They knew the truth a lot more than he did. Keith wasn’t sure if that bothered him or not.

It bothered him.

Allura chuckled again and waved her hand at the club. “Alright, everyone. Get back to work. Make yourselves look busy or I’ll open the club early.” She turned her attention back to Keith and she smiled at him. He wasn’t sure if he should trust that smile. “Keith, I’m sure Matt and I have things taken cared of here. Why don’t you go downstairs and check on Shiro? You know where his room is, right?”

Keith swallowed around the lump in his throat. It felt like Allura was pushing him into the mouth of a lion. With every second that he hesitated to answer him, her smile grew, and Keith knew that he was correct. Whatever she had planned, it was going to expose him worse than getting his chest cut open.

“Sure…” Keith answered quietly. “I’ll do that…”

“Thank you, Keith.” Allura had said it in such a sugary sweet tone that Keith almost forgot that she sent him to Death’s Row.

Dropping his rag, Keith walked around the bar. He could feel everyone staring at him and it made him more nervous than going to see Shiro. Reaching the bottom of the stairs filled him with relief. Keith was glad to finally be away from their peering eyes. If he didn’t know better, though, he was sure that they would be staring down at him, making sure that he committed to Allura’s orders.

Keith looked over his shoulder to make sure that wasn’t the case.

He could have sworn that he saw a flicker of movement disappearing over the railing. He chalked it up to a trick of the light.

Keith wandered down the short hall until he reached Shiro’s door. Since he started working here, he always wondered what it looked like inside. Sometimes he imagined a plain room with hardly any piece of personality to it. Other times, he imagined it to be decked out with sex tools for his more private sessions. When he felt less like a fool that wanted to be stepped on by Shiro, he imagined the room being decorated in pieces from Earth. Something that reminded Shiro of home and things from his childhood.

It would fit Shiro to a T and Keith loved that about him.

His fist shook as he raised it and knocked on the door.

Shiro’s answer was immediate, “Come in.”

Keith hadn’t expected an answer so soon. In fact, he was ready to walk back up the stairs to tell the others that Shiro was asleep. Now that Shiro acknowledged his presence, he had to go in or Allura would find out that he didn’t.

He took a deep breath and gripped the handle to Shiro’s room. The moment he stepped in, he felt like he entered Giorgio Armani's boudoir. Any moment now, Keith expected to have a woman come up to him and spray him in the face with their latest cologne.

Keith filled his lungs with it and closed his eyes. The scent was so completely Shiro. It was hard to imagine something else for him. Whoever picked this out, Shiro or someone else who knew him well, they picked the right one.

Opening his eyes, he found Shiro sitting at his vanity. His hands worked on applying makeup to his features, dolling himself up for the evening. While he worked, Keith let his eyes wander around Shiro’s room.

It was a lot bigger than Keith had expected. Altea was big, but it didn’t mean their basement would be just as large. Shiro’s bed was Queen sized and there were purple satin sheets on them. The pillows on top of them looked fluffy and comfortable. Keith wanted to crawl into the bed and bury his nose in them, filling his lungs with the complete scent of Shiro.

On the walls, were pictures and framed art. Keith couldn’t tell where they were taken, but it looked like landscape photos of somewhere on Earth. Nowhere on Fusuna looked like that. The other pictures on the wall were of pictures that Shiro had taken with other workers in Altea. Some Keith could tell were still working there, others must have left before he did. In the pictures, Shiro looked happy, but something felt off about it. He couldn’t tell what it was.

It was the picture on the bedside table that really caught Keith’s attention. The picture was set in a prettier frame than the others. In the photo looked like a younger looking Shiro with his arm draped over the shoulders of another boy. Keith wondered if it was someone that Shiro knew back on Earth. Asking about it was out of the question. It didn’t feel right to ask Shiro about it.

“Can I help you, baby?”

Keith would never be able to get over Shiro calling him that.

He turned his gaze to Shiro, finding him grinning at him through the mirror. It was so similar to that night of their indirect kiss. Keith couldn’t be hit with any more feeling of déjà vu if he tried.

“Allura wanted me to come down and see how you were doing,” Keith answered. He tried to sound confident about being in Shiro’s room, but it was hard when his crush was staring him down. Keith wanted him to pounce and mount him like a lion.

Shiro laughed and Keith shuddered. “Is that so?”

He lowered his makeup brush and turned to face Keith. Right now, Shiro looked so beautiful and Keith was torn between emotions. He was torn between wanting to admire him for hours and kissing him until his makeup was ruined. Those thoughts flitted from his head when Shiro stood up and sauntered towards him.

His arms draped over Keith’s shoulders and a pathetic squeak escaped him. Shiro’s breath smelled like spearmint and it only fueled Keith’s desire to kiss him even more. He wanted to smear the lip gloss on his lips until it was on his own. If he didn’t step away from Shiro, he feared that he would commit to the idea. Deep down, though, he didn’t want to be an _inch_ away from him.

If anything, Keith wanted Shiro to pull them _closer_ together until their hips were flushed together.

“Is that _really_ all you came down here for, Keith?” Shiro asked. He sounded so seductive as if he was talking to a client. Keith _loved_ it. “Maybe you came down here for a little more private time with me, hm?” His hands ran down Keith’s arms until he gripped his hips.

A gasp left Keith’s lips when Shiro pulled them close until their hips were flushed together. He didn’t need a mirror to know that his face was bright red. The heat he felt due to his embarrassment felt worse than any fever he had before. Shiro only smiled at him, gray eyes twinkling like starlight. He looked so beautiful.

Keith licked his lips, debating on what to say. Shiro was clearly waiting for an answer, one that was just as seductive as his question. However, his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. It felt like there were tiny fuzzballs coating it, making it uncomfortable to even try to speak. Keith figured he looked foolish in front of Shiro, unable to make one coherent sentence to portray his desire to be with him.

Shiro was patient, though, and he didn’t seem bothered that Keith couldn’t answer right away. He had the patience of a saint, which was strange for someone in his profession.

“If a session in the club is expensive, how much is one here in your room?” Keith finally asked. It didn’t sound as seductive as he wanted it to be.

“Hmmm,” Shiro hummed. “For you?” He brought a hand up to cup Keith’s cheek. His thumb brushed over Keith’s lower lip, parting them slightly. “Free if you promise to blow me _really_ well.”

Keith’s knees would have buckled if he didn’t remember that Shiro was holding him up. If there wasn’t a hand on his hip, he would have dropped on his knees and worked Shiro’s belt open. Somewhere in his heart, he knew that this was a joke and that they were having a little bit of fun teasing each other. However, if Shiro wanted it, Keith would have no problems delivering it to him.

A knock sounded on the door and Keith’s head whipped towards it. He hadn’t realized that Shiro pulled him further into the room. Even more so, he hadn’t noticed that the door was still wide open. Anyone walking past Shiro’s room could have heard what they were talking about and _witnessed_ it.

And Allura was the current witness. She wore a mischievous look, a wolfish grin plastered on her face that was all teeth.

“When I sent Keith down here to check on you, I didn’t expect you two to get so… comfortable with each other,” Allura said.

Shiro’s response was to wrap his arm around Keith’s waist and pull him closer to his muscled body. Keith gasped and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. There was a situation happening between his legs that he wasn’t fond of and it was pressed against the man of his dreams. If there was another way to be embarrassed, then he would rather suffer through that than this.

“You interrupted something absolutely wonderful, Allura,” Shiro retorted. “What can I help you with?”

“Well, while you two were ready to drop your pants, we’ve been getting the club ready for tonight,” Allura answered. “Since you won’t be dancing yourself, you can watch one of the other dances for tonight. He’s a little stiff in some of his moments and he doesn’t notice when it starts to happen.”

Keith wasn’t sure if he should be thanking Allura or cursing her out.

Shiro shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from Keith. He raised a hand and cupped his cheek, his metal thumb stroking along his cheekbone. “Maybe next time, hm? The offer still stands whenever you want it.”

All Keith could do was nod at Shiro’s words. He stepped aside as Shiro walked out of the room, slipping past Allura. She regarded Keith with a look, her wolfish grin still on her face.

“When you fix your ‘problem’, you can come upstairs and help Matt stock the bar from the basement,” Allura commented.

She left, leaving Keith to stew in his own embarrassment and deal with his raging boner.

Could this day get any worse?

 

 

 

 

It could get worse and Keith _hated_ that he thought it couldn’t.

Throughout the night, it seemed that fate was playing a crucial role in making sure that he and Shiro were pressed together often. It didn’t matter that they had a “special moment” in Shiro’s room earlier. Fate and whatever deity of Fusuna were watching over them wanted to torture Keith in various ways.

They would bump into each other, Shiro would lean over him to get something, Keith would need to squeeze between him and the bar to deliver drinks. Everything felt _tighter_ behind the bar, even though Keith knew perfectly well that three people could fit comfortably inside it.

And it wasn’t because they were busy, either. Keith took one look at the crowd before them and realized it was their usual size. After seeing the kind of crowd that would file in when Nyma and Shiro performed, he had grown to appreciate the group they usually served.

The only reason things felt worse back there was thanks to Keith’s filthy dreams about Shiro and his little moment with him. He knew it to be true.

Matt would often send him sly looks when he fumbled over an order he had made dozens of times before. He would wiggle his eyebrows if Keith looked at him for too long. It was starting to feel like he was reading Keith’s mind and he wasn’t happy about it. The only people who should know about his dirty thoughts were himself and no one else. Anyone else who knew about it had to be psychic.

Or evil and just that good like Pidge. Keith didn’t think that Matt fit that criteria, though.

Keith cried out as he bumped into a client. The alcohol spill down his pants leg and on his shoes, soaking them through. Keith apologized to him, bending down to start picking up what little of the broken glass that he could. His face burned red and he kept his head down, refusing to look anyone in the eye as he cleaned. Dainty white heels appeared in his peripheral and Keith sighed. Looking up, he stared Allura down, ignoring how her finger tapped against her bicep.

With another sigh, Keith heaved himself up and brought the tray back to the bar, Allura trailing after him. Shiro took one look at the tray of broken glass and redirected his concerned gaze to Keith.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” _I want to crawl under a rock and die, but I’m fine._

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Allura pointed out. She sighed and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go ahead and take your break early? Wash your face, get some food in you. Maybe that’ll help.”

Keith didn’t think it would. The tent he had been fighting all night had other plans about what might help him. “I’ll try that. Thanks, Allura.”

He turned to the stairs, but he heard Matt shout after him, “And try to rub one out. Maybe _that’ll_ help you, too!”

Shiro defended him quickly, “Stop teasing him!”

Keith was glad to finally be in the break room downstairs. He fell onto the plush couch and buried his face in his hands.

Putting in his two weeks notice was a thought that walked through his mind. That would mean suffering through two more weeks of pining for a man that he had no business pining for. Quitting and making tonight his last night would only bring up questions he didn’t want to answer. Hunk would be the most concerned, but Pidge and Lance would slam him with question after question until he caved.

They would be waiting for a long time, but Pidge knew how to break someone.

With a sigh that did nothing to dislodge the lump in his chest, Keith heaved himself up. He had been foolish and in denial from the very moment he met Shiro. There was no two-way around it. As soon as he saw him coming up the stairs it had happened. Keith’s heart lunged for his throat, desperate to jump out of his mouth and land at Shiro’s feet. And he would have let it if only to see what Shiro would do.

Keith grabbed his bag from the floor and dumped the contents on the little table in front of the couch. Textbooks, wadded up candy wrappers, an empty water bottle, and his notebook and pencil. He snatched the notebook and pencil and pressed himself back into the couch. He was going to have to get comfortable for this.

Opening to a clean page, he put his pen to the paper. Setting up the pros and cons of liking Shiro weren’t on his to-do list, but he was on break. What was else was he supposed to do? Keith tried not to think about touching himself to the thought of Shiro fucking him.

In five minutes, he had a full list. Keith tossed the pencil back into his dumped pile and looked it over. He did a terrible job at trying to find a downside to liking Shiro. The more he thought about him as a person he liked to spend time with, the more he realized that he didn’t find anything _bad_. Keith knew that every worker here practiced in safe sex. Shiro was probably cleaner than anyone else in this filthy city.

Any downside that Keith had come up with could also be considered a plus. The only bad thing he was able to come up with involved work. If he continued to bottle up his emotions and let his infatuation slide, he was going to break a lot more glasses. Allura could only watch him fail so many times before she got fed up with him. Shiro may save him from being fired, but for how long?

Frustrated, Keith tossed his notebook to the table. This was the worst idea he had today. It only made things worse and now his mind was flooded with thoughts about Shiro.

Shiro laying down beside him while their limbs were entangled. His hand coming up to touch Keith’s hip and slip into his boxers. The places his fingers would go to tease him until Keith was begging him to fuck him.

Keith groaned and stared at the new problem forming a tent in his pants. Humoring his fantasies and taking care of it was a terrible idea. He was at work. Even if Matt told him it might help, what kind of person jerked off at work?

Keith, apparently, and he hated himself for even going along with the idea.

He hurried to the bathroom and pressed himself hard against the door. He tried not to think about how wrong this was as he undid his pants and pulled them down past his hips. His cock was free and aching, eager for a hand to wrap around it. His own or Shiro’s, he just needed it.

“What am I doing?” Keith asked as he wrapped a hand around himself. “How twisted in my head do I have to be to do this…”

There was a mirror across from him and he had to turn his gaze elsewhere. Keith couldn’t bear to look at himself as he did this. He fucked his fist. He squeezed his eyes shut and fucked it as his imagination went beyond his control.

He thought of Shiro knocking on the door and slipping into the bathroom with him. Keith tossed his head back, thinking of Shiro getting down on his knees and taking his cock into his mouth. The Shiro of his imagination was great at it. He took Keith’s cock deep into his mouth. His tongue pressed against the thick vein on the underside and he sucked on the tip.

 _Fuck_ , Keith knew that Shiro was good at it. His mind continued to dwell deeper into his fantasies until he couldn’t control it anymore. The next thing he knew, he was imagining Shiro standing up and taking out his own cock. His hand easily wrapped around them both, pumping their cocks together. Shiro whispered pleasant words into his ear, telling him how much of a good boy he was. He was telling Keith how he couldn’t wait to bring him upstairs to the rooms and fuck him until he couldn’t remember his own name.

Keith ran his hand even faster along his cock until he cummed into his hand.

He stared at the white mess, feeling disgusted with himself.

* * *

Jerking himself didn’t help with jack shit. Matt was wrong, and Keith would have hit him for leading him on. That would have led him to admit that he had gone along with his idea. Keith wasn’t ready to give even Matt that kind of ammo. He was related to Pidge, after all. Whatever information he had would be given to her.

What little credit Keith would give Matt was that it helped him focus on work a bit better. He could focus less on the way Shiro was pressed up against him and more on what drinks he was making. Matt made a sly comment and asked him if he had done what he suggested. Keith didn’t give him an answer, knowing all too well that it would give him what he wanted to hear. He wasn’t giving in that easily.

It amazed him that he managed to survive through the rest of the night.

From the bar, Keith stared at Shiro across the way. He watched him as he cleaned up the tables within the booths. When Shiro looked his way, he was quick to look elsewhere. He didn’t want to draw any more unwanted attention to himself. But in the end, Keith couldn’t stop turning his attention back to Shiro.

Right now, more than ever, Shiro looked beautiful to him.

“I have a picture of him on my phone if you wanna stare at that instead.”

Keith’s head nearly slammed down onto the bar top. He stared Hunk down, surprised that he would tease him like this. “I… I wasn’t staring.”

Hunk laughed. “You _were_ staring, Keith.” He reached over and patted his arm. “Go talk to him. He always tells me how much he likes it when you talk to him.”

What was that?

Keith reached out to grab Hunk and hear him say it again, but he was gone. He didn’t know how to take that bit of information. Just how often had Shiro been talking to Hunk? The kitchen was right near his room, so it had to be often enough. To learn that Shiro had been talking to Hunk about _Keith_ was something his brain couldn’t process. As sad as it was to admit, he didn’t think he was anything special for Shiro to talk about.

It gave him a confidence boost, though.

Keith made his way around the bar and towards Shiro. His heart was in his throat, ready to take that plunge to see what Shiro would do. At the booth, he leaned against the hardwood and knocked on it. Shiro turned to him, giving him a smile that was far different from the one he wore tonight. Keith didn’t know what to think of it, but it made him feel warm inside.

“Hello, Keith,” Shiro greeted. “To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”

Keith licked his lips. “Do you want to get something to eat? Maybe head to that diner or somewhere else if you’re not up for it.”

Shiro’s smile dropped and so did Keith’s heart. It fell to his feet like a stone and the sudden loss of it in his throat had him reeling. Shiro had never looked at him like that before. It concerned him, but he did his best to hide it. He wasn’t sure if he did a good job because Shiro took on a sad smile.

“I… I don’t know, Keith. Maybe I should stay inside for a couple of days…”

Allura passed them and scoffed. “Shiro, are you trying to invent your own version of being a hermit? You can’t just stay inside the club and be alone all the time.”

“I have Nyma to talk to.”

“And look at how she helped you today. You could hardly work because of a nice heavy egg in your belly.” Allura picked up a crate of cleaning rags. “At least order something to eat in for you two. All the food that Hunk made tonight is gone so you two won’t be eating any of that.”

Brilliant idea, Allura. “I can order Chinese? I haven’t had Chinese in a while,” Keith agreed.

“See, Shiro? He wants to spend some time with you.” She smiled and started for the stairs. “If I was you, I’d appreciate it while I can. Who knows what might happen in the future.”

Keith didn’t know what to make of that, but he didn’t raise questions about it. Instead, he continued to stare Shiro down, hoping that he would give him an answer soon.

Shiro chewed on his lip, looking down at his hands. Soon, he looked up and smiled. “Okay. Okay, we can go ahead and order something to eat.”

“Chinese?”

“Chinese.”

 

 

 

 

“So, you’ll be able to perform tomorrow?”

Shiro nodded, chewing on a chunk of lo mein. “I should. Nyma’s eggs usually pass through without a problem, but everything feels so heavy. I can perform, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t like to do it with an egg clogging up the system. It’s like I have this underlying fear that the egg is going to pass while I’m doing something strenuous. The last thing the clients need to see is an egg popping out of my asshole.”

Keith tried not to snort at that. Somehow, he had a feeling that the clientele of Altea wouldn’t mind seeing that. “What are you going to be doing next, then? Any plans or ideas?”

“Not exactly,” Shiro answered. “Sometimes I forget my routine halfway through and I wing it. They aren’t always here to see me dance around some polls and get tips. Most of the time, they’re waiting for me to be done so that they can take me upstairs.”

Right. Keith tried not to think about that too much. He shifted in his seat and leaned forward. “Still, there’s got to be something special you have planned. Or at least something that we haven’t seen yet.”

Shiro watched him with a careful look. Keith was starting to feel nervous with each passing second that went by. Maybe he asked something he shouldn’t have, but he figured it was a careful question. It wasn’t personal, and it was easy to answer. Wasn’t it?

“I kind of do, but it’s not that special.” Shiro smiled. “Do you want to see it?”

Keith tried to ignore the twitch in his pants. “Can… I?”

Shiro nodded.

He stood up, pushed aside the curtain hiding them. They didn’t _need_ it, but Shiro was the one who pulled the curtain closed. Keith didn’t mind, of course. He liked that Shiro enjoyed having privacy when it was just the two of them. They should have thought about that when he was in Shiro’s room earlier.

Keith followed him quickly as he walked to the stage. He tried not to seem so eager to see Shiro perform, but it was hard. He liked seeing Shiro dance. The way his muscles moved and how he made it seem so easy never failed to amaze him.

Keith slid on the booths seat. Shiro had already stripped down until he wore nothing but his boxer shorts. He wasn’t going to question it. After all, it was a nice view and he had a feeling it was easier for him to perform like this.

“Am I going to get a lap dance, too? Keith jokingly asked.

Shiro took hold of one of the poles and smirked at him. “It depends. If I see a tent in your pants, I might feel compelled to take care of it. So…” He looked him up and down and winked at him, “maybe you should get turned on by this.”

That backfired fast on Keith. He was left speechless, his jaw hanging open.

“Keep your mouth like that,” Shiro suggested. “I think your jaw is going to drop a lot during this.”

Now, Keith knew he should have followed Shiro’s advice, but he didn’t. He snapped his mouth shut, suffered through Shiro’s playful eye roll, and sat back to watch the show.

From the moment Shiro started, Keith understood what he meant. He had never expected Shiro to be this flexible. He performed splits, bent himself in half—forward and backward—all while spinning around on a pole. More often than not, Keith found his jaw-dropping the more he watched. Shiro’s muscles rippled beneath his skin and he flawlessly moved, making his performance seem easier than what it was.

He tried once more to ignore the fact that his dick was hardening with every passing second. Keith covered his hand with his mouth and hunched over, hoping to hide his slowly growing erection. In his mind, he hoped that Shiro wouldn’t notice, but there was no sense in hiding anything from him. Keith knew he would see it in a matter of minutes.

Shiro finished, sliding down to the floor until he was on his knees. He was sweating and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well? What do you think? Think the routine is worthy of being shown soon?”

Keith had no words. He fumbled with them and they fell between his legs to pool on the floor. “It… wow… it’s…”

“Come now, Keith,” Shiro said, smirking at him. “You can use your words.”

He could have if he didn’t have this erection bothering him and threatening to break his zipper. Without saying anything, he stood up and awkwardly walked to the booth he and Shiro had occupied. Leaving the food behind wasn’t something that he wanted to do, but there wasn’t a brain cell in his body telling him to grab it. They all sang for him to escape and hurry home before he embarrassed himself any further.

He grabbed his bag and hurried out of the club.

Keith knew that Shiro saw his boner in his pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you've got it bad for a guy, it's pretty obvious to tell. Sorry, Keith. Everyone can read you like a book and you know it. There's no way to hide a crush that big. I hope you all enjoyed it! ♥
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/val_hellaa)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was once again beta'd by [Kay](https://twitter.com/skeletense)!

Being out in the heat reminded him of how things used to be when he was a kid.

When the first day of summer vacation started, wonder-filled him. He jumped out of bed and would pull on the first pair of shorts and tank top that he had. His mother asked about having breakfast, but he couldn’t be bothered with it. He would practically shove his feet into his sneakers. The laces would trail behind him as he stepped out and took in a deep breath. The summer air would fill his lungs, and he’d feel so much excitement over what the day had in store for him.

He could make chalk drawings on the sidewalk or swing out on the tire swing in the backyard. They were just little things to keep him busy until his brother got out of bed.

When Ryou woke up, they would eat breakfast and go to the biggest park in town and play. Hours would pass them by as they zipped around the playground, sliding down slides that burned them, swinging on monkey bars and swing sets that creaked with every movement. Eventually, the other children would join them, and they would start playing games with each other.

By lunchtime, everyone would be heading home to eat, but they would be back out. They would be back out to play hide and seek, manhunt, and tag. He always made sure to pull Ryou along even as he complained that he was too hot or too big to play games like that. He couldn’t recall a time where Ryou sent him away to play alone during those times, though. His brother was always around.

Shiro shook his head, disrupting the memories like cobwebs. It had been a while since he thought of his family like that. He couldn’t begin to count the times he wished he could turn back the clock and go back to those simpler times. While he wanted nothing more than to see his brother and family again, they were out of Shiro’s reach now.

He had become a different man. He was positive that his family wouldn’t want to see what had become of him.

He had other matters to worry about now—matters that didn’t involve diving into his mind and picking at the lock that held his memories.

Shiro looked up at the university’s sign. He had been standing outside for an hour now, fanning himself to try and keep cool. Fusuna had been struck with terrible sandstorms for the last few days. When the planet got like that, it was always best for everyone to stay indoors. The way the wind whipped sand around from distant deserts could pierce holes through your skin.

He was locked away for days within Altea with only Nyma for company. They always kept an eye out for the weather to see if a sandstorm would come or not. If one did, Nyma would pack her belongings and stay within the club with Shiro. It would be a nonstop party between them, drinking and watching terrible shows, taking a shot whenever the laugh track played.

There were times when they would screw around so that Nyma could deposit her eggs.

The storm cleared and there was only one thing that Shiro wanted to do.

Altea would be open again to hopefully make up for the money they had lost. It wasn’t on Shiro’s agenda to work tonight, though. From the moment he asked Allura for a day off, Shiro knew that it was a foolish idea. Allura asked him, of course, on what he planned to do today. Lying to her was something that Shiro could never do, so he told her.

He told her that he wanted a day off to see Keith and spend some time with him. If it was possible and Keith had free time, of course.

The sly grin that spread across her face didn’t go unnoticed. Shiro didn’t want to think about the different ideas going through her head. While he didn’t want her to assume the naughtiest, he didn’t want to know what she was thinking. It was best to leave her thoughts in the dark.

Allura happily gave him the day off, which was why he was standing out here in the first place. It seemed a little underhanded to ask Pidge what Keith’s school schedule was like. If any one of Keith’s friends would know, it would be her. Pidge liked to keep an eye on her guinea pigs, a disturbing thought to Shiro. Out of the four who went to the university, Keith was the only one who got out early on Wednesday.

Nothing creepier than standing outside of the school the guy you’re crushing on goes to.

Shiro wondered where his life went so wrong. He tried not to think about the exact moment, even though he knew _exactly_ where it all started.

Crowds of students start walking out of the doors. It started as a trickle and then turned into a torrent. There were so many others that were ready to head home and get started on their homework or projects. Shiro tried not to think about how he could have been one of them at one point in his life. That was another thing that he didn’t dare try to remember.

Shiro started to feel disheartened, looking out over the heads of college students. For some reason, they all looked the same. They all wore a tired look of desperation. It seemed that the only things they were surviving on were caffeine and Red Bull. He wasn’t going to be able to pick Keith out in this lineup. There was so much time that they had spent apart. It wouldn’t have surprised Shiro if Keith had taken on the same look as his fellow students.

He closed his eyes and pressed his head back against the brick pillar.

This was a ridiculous idea. Shiro told himself that he shouldn’t have humored it and should go back home to lick his wounds. It was a nice thought, but that’s all they were.

Thoughts.

Thoughts that should never be acted upon so that he didn’t humiliate himself.

“Shiro?”

His heart danced in his chest and he screwed his eyes shut tighter.

Shiro opened them and stared at Keith among the crowd. He had stepped aside so he didn’t get swept away by a tide of his peers. Keith didn’t look as tired as Shiro expected him to be. There was some additional depth to the bags under his eyes, but Shiro loved them. In fact, Shiro was tempted to lean forward and press his lips against them.

But Shiro smiled instead. “Hey, hot stuff.”

Red tinted Keith’s cheeks and Shiro thought it looked cute. “What are you doing here?”

This was the moment that Shiro knew things would get awkward. “I… was wondering if you wanted to spend the day together? Maybe get some lunch, shop a little, walk around.”

Keith opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut. He looked to be debating what he wanted to say next and Shiro kicked himself for thinking this was a smart idea. When he got back to the club, he was going to lock himself in his room until it was time for him to work tomorrow. Nyma could pound on his door and Pidge could work on unlocking it until her tools broke. Shiro wouldn’t come out. Any other appearances of his had to be paid.

It was the only way he could avoid seeing Keith again. Maybe it was best for them.

“I think I’m up for something like that,” Keith finally answered. He tilted his head to the side. “But how did you know what time I got out of school?”

Shiro gave him a shy smile. “You know how Pidge likes to keep an eye on her lab rats.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I should have known.” He sighed, but when he looked back to Shiro, he was smiling. “Let’s not let her ruin our _date,_ though. Come on. My bike’s over here.”

Bike?

Shiro didn’t say anything else as he followed Keith down the street. He kept his hands deep in his pockets, fighting back the urge to take Keith’s hand. Their little outing may have been called a date, but Shiro didn’t need to treat it as such. Even as his heart started to do the tango in his chest.

_Be still, heart, be still._

Keith ran up to a red and black hoverbike. It looked brand new. Shiro didn’t think that Keith was a bike kind of guy. Now that he took a good look at Keith standing next to it, he could see it clearly. Shiro thought about him riding down one of Fusuna’s highways, the desert wind whipping his hair around. He looked so beautiful like that.

Stepping forward, Shiro ran a hand over the red finish. Keith held the only helmet out to him.

Shiro pushed it back. “You take it. You’ll need it more than I will.”

“I insist, Shiro,” Keith said. “Next time, give me a little warning when you come by to hang out.” He smiled. “I’ll make sure to bring an extra helmet then.”

Shiro took the helmet and turned it in his hands. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

There was no room to argue. Keith had a look of steely determination on his face. Shiro slipped the helmet onto his head and secured it tightly. He waited for Keith to get on the bike and start it.

The motor hummed to life and Keith revved it a few times. “Alright, hop on.”

At that moment, Shiro was grateful for the helmet obscuring his vision. Keith wouldn’t be able to see how red his face was starting to become.

He climbed behind Keith and wrapped his arms around his waist. It felt nice to have his lean body pressed against his. He had thought about it before. Shiro thought about how nicely Keith would fit against his body like a puzzle piece. For some reason, a reason that he couldn’t explain, it felt right to be pressed against each other like this.

Shiro bit his cheek to keep himself from groaning at the cliché of it all.

“Hold on tight,” Keith warned, revving the engine a few more times.

“I understand.”

“Good, because I don’t do anything slow. You’ll fly off if you don’t keep a firm grip on me.”

The warning was enough for Shiro to grip onto Keith tighter.

Keith moved them back and out of the spot. There wasn’t any warning as he started zooming down the street. Shiro had never been on a hoverbike before. Where one would feel excitement at riding for the first time, his mind was elsewhere. Shiro focused more on how the engine roared between his legs and how nicely Keith felt against him.

If the helmet was gone, he would have pressed his nose into Keith’s neck and take in the way he smelled. There was always something about the way he smelled that Shiro enjoyed. It smelled like the forest his father used to take him to when his family was happier and more whole. Shiro loved that earthy smell and he thought that it fit Keith perfectly.

Shiro squeezed his arms tighter around Keith’s waist and sighed softly.

They stopped at a red light and Keith reached a hand up to tap at the helmet. “Do you feel like eating at that diner again?”

He nodded his head. Shiro wasn’t going to be foolish and yell through the helmet, even though Keith was right in front of him. Truthfully, he feared that his voice would crack or that he would say something embarrassing. If he did, Shiro knew that he wouldn’t be able to hesitate to toss himself off Keith’s bike.

“Good. We’re almost there.”

Shiro nodded his head once more, but Keith was already turning his attention back to the road.

As they drove, he found himself shifting as far away from Keith as possible. Out of all the times to spring a surprise boner, it had to happen now? He willed it to go away, squeezing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths.

When did this start to happen? Just when did he start spiraling down the drain only to end up liking Keith?

Maybe it happened from the moment Shiro met Keith.

Maybe it happened once he showed genuine interest in him more so than sexual.

Shiro was used to people having only a sexual interest in him. It happened so often that he could figure out what someone wanted within the first few minutes of talking to them. Whenever he knew that it was only sexual, Shiro found himself running on autopilot, giving them the answers they wanted to hear.

It was different with Keith. Keith wanted to spend time with him and get to know what he was like. He was interested more in his personality than what he could do with his body and mouth. Everything else that Shiro had to offer was a bonus.

_Oh, shit. I really like him, don’t I?_

He tightened his hold on Keith and hoped that he wouldn’t mind it.

“We’re here.” Keith parked the bike and twisted around. He was smiling as he unbuckled the helmet and peeled it off Shiro’s head. “Did you enjoy the ride?”

 _More than you know._ “I did. It’s a shame I’ve never been on one before.” Shiro smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “This ride alone just might have convinced me to buy one for myself.”

Keith tilted his head back and laughed.

 _Shit_ , Shiro loved that laugh. It sounded like he had bottled it up for a while, only for it to come out full force. Shiro didn’t want to believe there were goosebumps forming beneath his jacket, but they were there. He didn't need to look at his skin to know that.

“If you do, let me know,” Keith said. “I know a guy that can hook you up with a good one. I’ll even teach you how to drive.”

“Promise?” Shiro bit his lip at how hopeful he sounded.

“Promise.” Keith motioned for Shiro to hop off the bike and he quickly did so. “I think Terzi is working today. She’ll be happy to see you again.”

Shiro walked beside him as they entered the diner. The coolness of the establishment was nice after racing down the street for a good twenty minutes. Fusuna’s heat was always worse after a sandstorm and not even riding through it on a bike helped. Unlike the last time Shiro was here, there were a few others sitting in booths or at the counter. He never thought that it would be that popular of a spot to eat at.

Terzi was at the counter and she waved a pink, gooey tentacle at them. She motioned for a seat in the back-corner, free of anyone sitting there. Keith waved at her and grabbed Shiro’s hand, pulling him to the back. Even though Keith wore fingerless gloves, his hand was surprisingly warm. Shiro could feel the heat radiating off it. He fought the urge to squeeze his hand.

That would make it too intimate, he feared.

Keith slid into the spot facing away from the door. Shiro sat across from him, unbuttoning his jacket. Terzi came by and took their orders, which were no different from the last time they came by to eat.

“How’s school going?” Shiro asked once Terzi left them alone.

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “It’s going. I have a few more major projects to tackle before the semester is over, which are the hardest ones, but I’ll manage.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “I need to get a real-life model for a piece I’m doing. Think you might be interested in posing nude for me?”

Shiro floundered. A lump so huge lodged in his throat, and he stared at Keith. He knew all too well that his face was red, and there was no way he could hide it. No helmet to block him from Keith’s view, the collar of his jacket was too short, and his hands were shaking.

Keith smirked and gave him a wink, encouraging Shiro’s heart to do the tango in his chest once more.

“I’m joking, Shiro,” Keith assured. “You don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with.”

Shiro licked his lips. “If posing nude was an issue, I wouldn’t be in the field of work I’m in today.”

“You got me there.” Keith leaned back in his seat as Terzi brought their food over. He pulled a plate and a shake closer to him. “I do need a nude model, but you don’t have to do it for me. I can find someone else on campus to pay to do it.”

He was sure there were plenty of beautiful people at the university who were more than willing to pose nude for Keith. Everyone always needed a little extra cash, and they would do anything for it. He had heard from Pidge that Lance once ate a frozen burrito thawed in the sun for $50. He had to admit that Lance was bold, and that was coming from someone who worked at a sex club.

But Shiro didn’t want anyone else to pose for Keith. He only wanted Keith’s eyes to follow him and his movements. Why should anyone else be stared at by those beautiful purple eyes?

Jealousy reared its ugly head and he pushed it back down beneath his heel, screaming at it to stay back. There was no reason to be jealous of someone posing nude for Keith. It wasn’t anything serious.

Yet Shiro still chewed on the inside of his cheek before speaking, “I can do it for you, Keith, and you won’t have to pay me. I don’t mind.”

Keith stared at him, and Shiro wanted to hide underneath the table that was littered with discarded chewing gum. He had said the wrong thing and he knew it. Maybe he would be better off if he did head back to the club and never spoke to anyone again.

Even Keith’s smile didn’t manage to quell the sense of dread in his stomach. “I’ll keep that in mind then. So, don’t be surprised if I show up to the club with the tools of my mediocre trade.”

Shiro forced a smile. “Thank you for the warning.”

His stomach had twisted itself into a knot and he couldn’t eat. Shiro stared down at his plate and pushed around fries with his spork. It felt like such a waste to order food he wasn’t going to eat. He made a note to make sure to pay for the meal. Even if he had to fight Keith for the tab, he was going to do it.

Shiro looked up at Keith and fought back a laugh.

Seeing someone so ravenously eat didn’t bother him. In fact, it was humorous and cute to see Keith eat with such gusto. He wondered how long it had been since he had last eaten. With how lean he was, it wouldn’t surprise Shiro if he only ate breakfast and refused to eat until he was done with school. Now that he was becoming more aware of it, Shiro wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Keith eating before work.

That was something that he would need to speak to Hunk about. If there was one person who could get _anyone_ to eat, it was Hunk. He just had this stern, fatherly way about doing it and it succeeded.

Keith sighed halfway through his meal. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry about this. I’ve been thinking about sinking my teeth into this burger all day.”

“Don’t mind me,” Shiro answered with a shake of his head. “When you need to eat, you should eat. It seems like it’s been a while since your last meal.”

“Hunk would force food down my throat if he found out,” Keith responded with a sheepish grin.

It would be a shame, then, for Shiro to tell Hunk about Keith’s lack of eating.

Shiro placed his cheek in his hand and shamelessly watched Keith eat. He had slowed down a significant amount, but he was more or less still shoving it into his mouth. The splatter of ketchup on Keith’s cheek caused a chain reaction in Shiro.

Without thinking of his actions, he grabbed one of his own fries and leaned forward. Keith jumped back, but Shiro still managed to scrap the ketchup off his cheek and onto the fry. Shiro popped it into his mouth and avoided his gaze as humiliation set in for the second time that day.

Two strikes. One more and Shiro would commit to becoming a hermit. Forget having a job after this embarrassing incident.

Shiro could feel Keith staring hard at him, and he wanted nothing more than to run out of the diner and disappear down the street. He wanted Keith to say something—anything really! Just as long as Shiro didn’t have to stew in the crippling silence.

“If I knew you were going to do that, I would have sat closer to you,” Keith answered after the silence had played its course. “Maybe I would have gotten to first base today.”

Shiro smiled at him, but he was screaming on the inside. Screaming because he had, once again, embarrassed himself in front of Keith. When he looked over at the counter, he could see Terzi smiling at them, her gooey face resting on her hands. He wondered what she thought about all this. Maybe she thought they looked like a cute couple.

“Hey, if you finish eating, we can go ahead and window shop nearby,” Keith said, pulling him out of his trance. He smiled. “But we can’t go until you actually _eat_ something, Shiro.”

He laughed, tilting his head back. “Alright. Alright. That’s fair.”

* * *

“This looks nice on you.”

Shiro tilted his head up, allowing Keith to place a leather jacket under his chin. He grabbed one of the sleeves and stretched it out along his arm. “Do you think so? Don't you think it’s too much? Maybe too punk for other people?”

Keith shook his head, and his hair fell into his face. Shiro had to bite his lip and fight the urge to brush his hair back.

They’ve been shopping for hours, and Shiro was finding Keith more and more beautiful. There was something about the way the sun shone and made his eyes shine like stars. Sometimes their shoulders would bump together, and Shiro felt like his skin was on _fire._

Whatever he had for Keith, he had it bad. It would only be a matter of time before Shiro couldn’t hide it anymore.

“I think it looks great on you,” Keith answered. “Do you think you might buy it? I’m sure there are a few clients who would _love_ to see you in this. Or, at the very least, they’d love to tie your arms up in it.”

Shiro wondered if Keith was thinking of doing that. He never made a quicker decision to buy something before.

Draping the jacket over his shoulder, he continued down the rows of clothes with Keith in tow. “None of this stuff is very revealing, but at least the aesthetic is on point.”

“There are a few fishnet stockings and short leather skirts,” Keith pointed out. “I’m sure that we can find something that will look good for a new outfit.”

Shiro braced himself against a clothes rack, giving Keith the most devilish smile in his arsenal. “Are you saying that you want to watch me try on some clothes?”

Keith’s shoulders rose and fell. “What I’m saying is that the outfits that Lance keeps getting you suck ass. I think you need something better in your wardrobe.”

He placed a hand to his chest in mock hurt. “Ouch. You make it seem like I have bad taste in clothes.”

“You haven’t shown me an outfit that says otherwise.”

Shiro felt something surge out from the pit of his being. He felt the urge to impress Keith, to put together an outfit that would blow his mind.

Rolling his tongue in his mouth, Shiro turned his attention to the rack of clothes. “Alright then. Why don’t you sit near the dressing room and wait for me? I’ll slip in with an outfit and come out wearing it.” He looked back at Keith to give him a smile. “We’ll see if I have a good style or not.”

Keith hummed and pretended to mull the thought over in his head. “Alright. I’ll meet you over there in ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes.”

It was only when Keith left his sight did regret hit Shiro like a truck.

He hunched over the clothing rack and took in deep breaths until he was calm. What was he _thinking?_ Why was he going to such lengths to impress Keith? It was already clear that he liked Shiro enough. _Why_ did Shiro feel the urge to impress him even more?

Shiro tried not to think about his reasons why. While they may have zipped through his mind, he refused to acknowledge any of them. They weren’t important now. What Shiro needed to focus on was the kind of outfit he could find in this thrift store that would impress Keith.

Damn did Shiro have it bad.

He scoured the store, keeping an eye on the time that he had. Ten minutes wasn’t a lot. Shiro thought it would be enough, but it clearly wasn’t. As the seconds ticked on, he grew more and more worried. There didn’t seem to be anything that would blow Keith’s mind the way that Shiro wanted it to.

Maybe the outfit didn’t have to _exactly_ matter. Shiro wondered if he could still do what he intended just by showing it off and pulling off a few moves. Surely that was as important as how he looked in any revealing outfit.

Then everything seemed to fall into place for him.

Shiro picked up piece after piece of an outfit that he knew he could make work. He quickly moved through the racks of clothes until he reached the dressing room. It was easy for Shiro to hide his items from Keith’s view.

“Your ten minutes was almost up,” Keith commented. “I thought you got eaten by some clothes rack or something.”

Shiro laughed. He started peeling his clothes off. “It’ll take more than a bunch of thrift store racks of cheap clothes to get rid of me.”

Keith laughed, and Shiro had to press himself against the wall. Keith’s laugh always made him weak. “I’m glad that they didn’t. I can’t wait to see what you managed to cook up.”

He could only hope it was something worth seeing.

Grabbing the packaging that held the fishnet tights, Shiro ripped it open with his teeth. He slipped them on with practiced ease and marveled at himself in the mirror. It had been a while since he had tights like these. They accentuated his thighs and calves wonderfully.

The only thing that made it difficult to love them was his scars.

Shiro’s body wasn’t as beautiful as everyone proclaimed it to be. It didn’t matter how many times someone ravished him or kissed at his scars. He always felt ugly about himself if he stared at them long enough.

Each scar held a story—a story about how it happened, a story about his survival. Even if he managed to escape his previous life, he was still bothered by it.

The memory of it all never hesitated to set the acid in his stomach to start bubbling erratically, forcing holes in his digestive track until he was sick.

“Everything okay in there, Shiro?”

He screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip.

It was always so hard to bring himself to the present. Each time he did, it felt like he took a dive into the arctic ocean. Shiro took in a shuddering breath and pressed his forehead against the mirror.

“Yeah, I’m…” Shiro licked his lips. “I’m okay. I’ll be done soon.”

There was no time to marinate in his past misery. Things were better now. Shiro was in a better place with better people who _loved_ him for more than his body.

He straightened himself up and continued getting dressed. By the end of it, Shiro was wearing a black strapless leotard with the leather jacket to compliment the look. The boots he had picked out were more punk than anything he had worn during his punk days in high school. It took longer than he expected to do up the buckles that ended at his knees. They were elevated and increased his height by three inches—as if he needed that.

“Shiroooooooo,” Keith whined. “I’ve been waiting for way too long. I think the shopkeeper thinks I’m stealing.”

Shiro chuckled as he slipped a spiked choker around his neck. “That, or you’re waiting for your significant other to be done shopping.”

There was a beat of silence, and Shiro wondered if he shouldn’t have said that.

“I like how that sounds,” Keith finally said. “Maybe I’ll tell them that I’m waiting for my boyfriend who’s taking _forever_ to pick out a nice outfit to show me.”

Shiro took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m coming out.”

His heart wouldn’t stop banging around his ribcage. He couldn’t calm down. That’s what startled Shiro the most. After all, Shiro performed so many times for crowds of all sizes. Giving a show to Keith was a different matter entirely.

He was in a different class that was completely different from Shiro’s usual clientele.

It was now or never.

Shiro peeked through the curtain. Keith was staring at it, waiting for him to finally step out and show him his outfit choice. He threw the curtain open and cocked his hip to one side. The devilish grin Shiro gave him could have made the strictest businessman fall to his knees. Shiro wondered if Keith would have gotten down to kiss his boots.

Instead, Keith’s jaw had dropped open. His phone hung loosely in his hand, ready to fall to the floor at the slightest twitch of his finger. His blown-out pupils made his eyes look darker than usual. Shiro found himself glowing with pride from this knowledge.

He wondered just how much darker his eyes could get.

Swaying his hips, Shiro sauntered up to Keith. Unabashedly, he straddled Keith’s lap and ground their hips together. Their breaths hitched with every roll. The world faded away until it was only the two of them.

It never occurred to them that they were in a store until someone cleared their throat.

They turned their heads, finding a mother and her child along with a few others watching them.

Shiro’s face grew hot. Out of all the places he could have given Keith a lap dance, it had to be here? He was better off at the club or at least in a park. In a park, he would have been able to hide them both from peering eyes. The worst they could see at a park was a nun who wanted to pray for their sinful souls.

“We should probably get out of here before they call the soldiers after us…” Shiro muttered.

Looking down at Keith, his breath hitched.

Keith looked so wrecked beneath him with his lips parted. His chest heaved with every struggling breath he tried to get into his lungs. Shiro thought Keith looked beautiful like this. There was a twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling that was warm and pleasant.

Would Keith look like this if they had just parted from an intense make-out session? Shiro would have enjoyed finding out. His lips tingled at the thought.

“Yeah, we…” Keith licked his lips. “We should probably get out of here…”

Shiro climbed off Keith’s lap and moved back to the changing room. He grabbed his clothes and the sales tags for the clothes he had on now. The sound of his boot buckles sounded loud in the now quiet store. There were eyes staring holes into him as he walked to the cash register. It wasn’t something he wasn’t used to, but that was in Altea.

Right now, he was in public and he wasn’t sure how to feel about the unwanted attention.

Keith followed him, adjusting his bookbag on his shoulders. Shiro heard him say something as he jumped onto the counter. He gave Keith a quizzical look, but he didn’t say anything else. Whatever he was going to say, Shiro would never know

“If you don’t mind ringing me out for these items,” Shiro said to the cashier. He dropped the sales tag in front of him, giving him a dashing smile that he turned onto Keith. “I think I’ll be wearing them out if you don’t mind.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at him, and Shiro challenged his look with one of his own. Once more, he expected Keith to say something about his choice, but he said nothing. Shiro didn’t even get a suggestion that he shouldn’t be walking around the city dressed as he was.

He was rung up quickly and they were both out the door. It was only when they were down the block that Shiro realized he was only charged half price for his outfit.

 

 

 

They only lasted a couple of blocks before Shiro decided to change back to his regular clothes. It took a few hundred stares and people asking how much Shiro was charging for the night to trigger it. Both him and Keith agreed that it would be best for him to change.

Shiro tried to believe he imagined Keith’s look of discomfort.

He didn’t want to think that Keith would ever look at him like that.

It was hard to believe, though.

Shiro left a manageable gap between them as they walked through the park. He didn’t want to make Keith any more uncomfortable than he had already made him. Fear had buzzed through him, making him sick with each passing thought. He was starting to regret asking for the day off just to hang out with Keith. His day would have been less embarrassing if he hid in his room with Nyma, eating bonbons and watching terrible TV comedies. It would have been more pleasant, too.

The awkwardness that now shifted between Keith and Shiro was worse than getting a root canal—a root canal where he was too afraid to tell the dentist that he could still feel pain. That was the most accurate description he could give it.

“Today was a fun and… interesting day,” Keith said, breaking the silence between them.

Shiro wished he had a joke prepared for a moment like this. Instead, he could only bark out a laugh.

“Yeah, it was. Sorry about embarrassing you in the store and walking around with my ass hanging out of a leotard.”

Keith shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad that I was able to spend some time with you outside of the club. I feel like we don’t get enough moments like this.”

They didn’t. Shiro wasn’t sure if he was doing it because he didn’t want to get attached to Keith—or if Keith was doing the same thing to him. A lot of good that did for both of them. In the end, Shiro knew he had it bad for Keith and there was no stopping it. It was like a train hurtling towards a cliff and falling over the edge.

“We don’t. I’m glad that we were able to fix that a bit,” Shiro replied.

The tension between them lessened and the gap grew smaller. They were apart from each other at a more comfortable distance. What happened only half an hour ago was still in Shiro’s head, though. It buzzed around like an angry insect, demanding that he pay attention to it. Shiro wished he could swat it away.

Keith stopped and reached out, grabbing Shiro by his bicep. He wished he could feel how Keith’s fingers curled around him, but he only felt one of his fingers. The rest were wrapped around the metal prosthetic that had become a part of his life.

That was another thing that Shiro sometimes struggled to be okay with.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you… about that night in the club…”

Oh _God_ no.

Shiro had hoped that Keith wouldn’t bring it up. Who cared if he ran away after Shiro gave him the performance of his life? He understood that Keith did so to hide his embarrassment—and the beginnings of a boner. Shiro only managed to feel offended for about an hour before he finally got over it. Nyma helped with that, laughing at how lovestruck they both were.

But Keith couldn’t feel that way about him, could he?

Shiro chuckled. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Keith—”

“No, I do,” Keith insisted. He pulled his hand back. He picked at his cuticles, looking everywhere around the park but at Shiro. “I left so suddenly without saying goodbye or anything. And it’s not that the dance was bad—”

“I trust you to tell me if it was bad or not.”

“—it was good! Like, really good.” Keith ran his fingers through his hair. Shiro saw a glimpse of a cartilage piercing peeking through strands of hair. “I just…” He sighed. “Do you know the effect you have on people sometimes?”

Shiro was aware of it. Sometimes it was one of the best things about the job.

While he danced, he liked checking over the crowd to see who couldn’t control themselves—to see which men were hardening just from staring at him or which women were squeezing their legs together. Other creatures and aliens were harder to tell if they were aroused or not, but after seeing regular customers, he grew accustomed to the telltale signs. It never failed to turn Shiro on to see what he could do to the crowd.

“I’m a _little_ bit aware of the effect I have.”

“Whoa, back up. If I’m not careful, you might float up to the sky. That’ll be difficult to explain to Allura.”

Even though he was teasing Shiro, he could see the smile that Keith struggled to fight back. His lips grew red with how hard he was biting his lip. Keith’s attempts to keep himself from smiling were failing and Shiro was glad for that. He liked seeing Keith in this kind of state.

How many times did Shiro have to say he was beautiful before his mind yelled at him?

“Keith, I understand what happened to you and I’m okay with it,” Shiro continued. “I’m not mad or upset at you.” He grinned. “I mean, I wished you stayed longer so that I could give you a proper lap dance, but you left before I had the chance. Which was a shame, because I think your body _really_ wanted it.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling.

It was the best sign Shiro could get that things were all right between them.

He was so worried that his little stunt in the outfit was pushing things too far. Just because Keith sprouted a chub while he was dancing for him didn’t mean that he wanted one in public. It was too enticing to pass up, though, and Shiro won in the end. He saw what Keith looked like while he was trying to catch his breath, cheeks flushed pink and hair sticking to his forehead.

Shiro’s mind yelled at him before he could call Keith beautiful one more time.

“You’re too much for me sometimes, you know that?” Keith rolled his shoulders. “Sometimes I don’t know what to make out of the things you say to me, and sometimes I feel like you’re just messing around with my head.”

No no no no.

This was _not_ what Shiro ever wanted Keith to think about him.

Shiro’s mouth flapped open and closed as he struggled to say something. He wanted to assure Keith that it wasn’t the case. After all, out of all the workers Altea had, Shiro found himself attached to Keith. He liked how he carried himself and how he cared about his schoolwork. Shiro would sneak glances and see how he looked when he got frustrated or cocky, admiring the subtle changes in his features.

It seemed like everything was falling apart beneath his feet. Shiro felt the ground shake and splinter beneath him, ready to swallow him whole in a dark depth. He would gladly accept his fate, anything to keep Keith from thinking such things about him. How was it that when something good was happening to him, he managed to ruin it? It didn’t matter how good the something was, Shiro always found a way to ruin it.

Such was his tragic life.

Shiro licked his lips and closed his eyes. He would be happy to disappear from this very spot and forget that this moment ever happened.

“I’m not messing with you, Keith,” Shiro finally answered, hoping that he wasn’t too late to correct him.

He opened his eyes and took in everything about him in the fading light of Fusuna’s suns. The light highlighted his eyes, making them appear brighter than they were.

“I’m not… I’m not that kind of person. I’m just a fool who has _no_ idea what he’s doing in life. I mean, look at my career choice.”

“Shiro—”

He shook his head.

Shiro was too worried about what Keith’s next words might be. He feared that the dam that was welling up inside him would burst and wash over him. The force and swell of his emotions would sweep him away and Shiro would lose himself. In public, he couldn’t allow that to happen. He would need to wait until he got back to Altea.

Hopefully, Nyma was free to be his emotional support.

“It’s fine, Keith,” Shiro assured. He wondered what cosmic force was keeping him from shaking on the spot. “I should probably get back to Altea. I’m off today, but I’m sure Allura needs some extra hands. It’s been a few days since the club has been open. Everyone’s probably there to get their fix.”

Keith chewed on his lips. There was something in his eyes that Shiro couldn’t quite read—or perhaps he was too afraid to say what it was. “Alright,” Keith answered quietly. “I’ll see you later, then?”

Shiro nodded with a smile. “Of course. You know I always look forward to your visits.”

He stepped away from Keith and turned away. It was the only thing he could manage to do to keep the dam from opening. It was on the verge of doing so, cracks splintering over the stone surface.

Shiro felt so foolish.

This entire day was practically a disaster. They had done wonderful things together such as shopping and eating, but was it all worth it? He humiliated himself not once but _twice_ in front of Keith. It didn’t help that it was in public. At the thrift store wasn’t so bad—that was a small gathering of people. However, going out dressed like that in public?

He should have known better.

Why would Keith want to be seen hanging around a common whore? Shiro may be working in a club, but he was a whore—plain and simple. It was a part of him as his prosthetic was. There was no getting rid of it. He had tried once, and he wound right back in it.

Shiro raised his head and stared at the changing hues of the sky.

Instead of thinking about how ugly he was on the inside, he tried to focus on how beautiful Fusuna looked during its sunsets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a whole week late, but here it is! This was another chapter I wasn't too proud of, so it needed to be edited heavily. I like how it is now, though. It was definitely fun adding in some of this nice scenes. I hope you guys like it. ♥
> 
> Come see me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/val_hellaa)!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone from Shiro's past comes to visit.

Altea was officially a year old.

He never thought that they would manage to keep it open for so long. At the start, they hardly had any workers besides Nyma and himself. There were hardly any customers around to see them and they had to float on Allura’s money alone. With the right promotion, things picked up and their business was booming. Altea became one of the hottest places to be whenever someone wanted entertainment or was feeling lonely.

It was everything Shiro and Allura could have ever wanted.

Shiro looked himself over in the mirror as he decided on tonight’s outfit. It would be a special occasion and Allura had ordered cases of champagne to give out for it. He would still be working, but there would be a chance to enjoy the celebration. They all predicted that there would be an influx of customers coming in. Preparations needed to be done and Shiro was sure that he would be busy just like everyone else. What better chance to make a good deal of money out of an event?

His focus wasn’t on the celebration or even what he was wearing, though. Shiro could only focus on Keith and what had happened between them.

Their incident in the park happened over a week ago. Since then, Shiro made sure that they never talked about it and he could tell that Keith was growing frustrated with him. He had good reasons to be upset with Shiro, but he couldn’t talk about it just yet. It was pathetic to run away from his problems like he was a five-year-old—Shiro hated himself for it.

Today would be different.

Today, Shiro was going to march up those stairs and talk to Keith about what had happened.

And if things worked out fine, he was going to ask him out on a date.

Shiro looked at the digital clock near his bed. 10:54—Keith should be upstairs in the bar right now.

On his bed was Nyma, sprawled out naked after kicking the covers off. She had escaped to his room last night and spent the night with him after telling him that she didn’t want to be alone—which meant that she had a fight with Rolo and didn’t want to sleep in their apartment. Shiro didn’t mind whenever she spent the night with him. He was used to sleeping beside and even more used to having sex with her.

It also meant that he could keep an eye out for her. Knowing Nyma, she would follow him upstairs to watch Shiro fail at talking to Keith. He didn’t want that. It was bad enough that he would need to drag Keith aside so that Allura, Matt, and Coran didn’t watch him flounder for something to say.

Shiro took a deep breath. It was time.

He took one last look at himself in the mirror. The outfit he picked was far from classy. If Shiro had to work tonight, he wasn’t going to look the part of an important club owner. That was Allura’s job as he worked the pole and brought money in. His outfit was a skin-tight leather one piece that hugged his body well. There were slits in the front and on the slides with laces that kept it all together. The boots he slipped on to complete it had five-inch heels and studs decorating the heel and toe.

His choker was the same from the day he and Keith hung out. Shiro liked it and he liked how it looked on him. Just because it was related to an uncomfortable moment didn’t mean that he couldn’t use it.

Shiro felt like he was ready.

After making sure that Nyma was still asleep, Shiro slipped out of his room and moved swiftly up the stairs. For once, he wished that the stairs weren’t metal so that he could sneak up them.

Keith was behind the bar when he finally reached the top. His hair was tied up in a ponytail and Shiro had to keep himself from swooning. He would have enjoyed climbing over the bar and kiss the back of Keith’s neck. Would it gain attention from the others in the bar? It would, but Shiro wouldn’t care. He wanted to lavish Keith in attention and hold him close.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro sauntered up to the bar. He could see Allura and Matt staring at him, mischievous looks on their faces. Later he would be at the brunt of their questions later—Shiro planned on sleeping most of the day to avoid it. Shiro lifted himself onto the bar top and crossed his legs. He tapped his metal finger tapped against the wood, waiting for Keith to pay attention to him.

Keith had to do a double-take to look at him. Shiro pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed on it. He always liked that surprised look on Keith’s face. It made him feel more wanted than any client could ever make him feel. Maybe that was just his feelings catching up to him, though.

“Like what you see?” Shiro asked.

“I always like what I see when it’s you.” Keith crossed his arms. “Now, what can I do for you today? I don’t suppose you plan on getting a drink this early. Allura might not approve of that.”

“Wanna help me sneak some alcohol, then? I’ll do anything you want,” he teased.

“Oh yeah?” He looked around Shiro to make sure Allura was a good distance away. Keith leaned closer to him and grinned. “What exactly would you do for me?”

Shiro smiled. He twisted around and jumped down behind the bar. Raising a hand, he cupped Keith’s face. He ran his thumb over a plump lip. Right now, there was nothing stopping him from kissing Keith. Even though he had witnesses to it, Shiro wouldn’t care—all that would matter was the taste of Keith’s lips and how it would feel.

Wait, this wasn’t what he was meant to do right now. He wasn’t here to flirt with Keith and try to get in his pants. Shiro was supposed to apologize to him for what happened at the park and in the thrift store. He couldn’t get sidetracked now.

“Actually, Keith, I needed to speak to you,” Shiro said, stepping away from Keith. He ran his hands down his outfit. “Do you mind coming with me downstairs? It’s actually an important outfit question and I only trust your opinion.” He smiled. “I need to make sure I can deliver killer looks tonight.”

Keith scrunched up his nose. “Uh, okay. Would Allura mind if I leave the bar, though? I’m supposed to be counting the liquor for tonight.”

“I’m sure she won’t. I mean, think about it—you help me pick out a good outfit, then we’ll rake in some more money. She wins even when she thinks she loses.”

“I suppose you’re right… Alright. Lead the way.”

Shiro didn’t think it would be that easy. He took Keith’s hand and led him towards the stairs. Passing Allura, he ignored her wiggling eyebrows. He could hear Matt asking her if Nyma was in his room, but he didn’t hear the answer. Shiro was already down the stairs with Keith in tow. Downstairs, they could be alone. Coran would be in the kitchen, Nyma was sleeping, and if Matt or Allura tried to follow them, Shiro would hear them coming down the metal stairs.

It still didn’t stop him from looking around before slipping into Allura’s office.

He liked Allura’s office. The long black mahogany desk was littered with various papers, folders, pens, and pencils. Her chair was deep pink and very comfortable—it wouldn’t have surprised Shiro if she took naps in it. On the walls were photos of former performers, neatly framed as their smiling faces were pushed against Allura’s. There was only one family photo of her parents and herself, placed in the middle of them all.

All the shelves in the room were filled with items from Altea and their sales books. Allura tried to keep everything neat and tidy, even if her desk was the complete opposite. What Shiro really enjoyed was the chaise lounge pushed against the wall behind the door. When he knew he would fall into a deep sleep instead of napping, Shiro would escape to the office and nap on the chaise lounge. It was much comfier than his bed.

“Is this the part where you tell me I’m fired?” Keith questioned.

Shiro immediately turned to him. He was surprised that Keith would assume something like that. “No—no, we’re not firing you, Keith. Close the door and get comfortable.”

Keith did so and Shiro had to refrain from locking the door. He cleared a space on the desk and hopped onto it. Keith decided to sit on the chaise, crossing his arms defensively. He seemed intent on believing that Shiro was here to fire him.

“I didn’t bring you here to fire you or to even help me pick out an outfit,” Shiro admitted. He crossed his legs at his ankles and leaned back on his hands. Paper crinkled beneath his hands, he wondered if they were important or not. “I actually wanted to apologize to you.”

Keith’s eyebrow went up his brow. It seemed that he either forgot what happened between them or he was pretending to forget. Shiro wished he was that lucky.

“When we hung out that day in the park? I was very… rude and forward during that day,” Shiro explained. “I shouldn’t have dressed the way I did or even embarrass you at the thrift store—more importantly, I should have changed immediately before we took our walk through the park. It must have been awfully embarrassing to have to stand beside me while I was approached and asked how much I charged for the night.”

The tap of Keith’s finger against his bicep was the only way Shiro could tell that he was listening to him. His heart felt like it was in his throat and he could feel his blood rushing through his ears. It felt like his worlds were going to collapse around him. He hoped it would—he hoped the ground would open and pull him down into darkness. Shiro would rather face darkness than Keith’s silence.

“I should apologize, too,” Keith said after a moment of silence. He leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. His fingers fidgeted together, picking at dried skin that had started to peel. “You weren’t embarrassing me with the outfit you were wearing or the impromptu lap dance at the store.” Another piece of skin drifted to the floor. “I didn’t like how everyone was staring at you—they treated you like a common whore instead of what you really are. You’re talented and you’re great, even if you sell your body every night.”

“Keith—”

“I know it’s silly. You’re used to getting all those looks and ignoring them. I still don’t like it, though.”

Shiro was touched that Keith cared so much. It was true that he had grown a thick skin to keep the talk at bay. Whenever someone said anything crude, he shrugged and walked on. Unless they were paying his bills or putting food in his mouth, Shiro wasn’t going to let them get to him.

“That’s a fair reaction,” Shiro said. “I still feel mostly to blame, though. After all, I’m the one who messes with your head.”

Keith shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said that—or at least I should have said it differently. That’s not exactly what I meant, and I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I guess I’m just too used to how Pidge treats me sometimes.”

Shiro chuckled. “Well, she does have that effect on people, especially her test subjects.”

He could tell that Keith was growing uncomfortable with the current topic. Shiro couldn’t be sure if it was because he had brought it up or because Keith didn’t know what to say. Even himself was starting to feel the tickling feeling crawling up the back of his neck. They had talked about this enough, haven’t they?

Stepping off the desk, Shiro swayed up to Keith. He dropped to his knees before him and smiled. “How about this—it’s water under the bridge. Whatever happened during that day never happened and we don’t talk about it at all.”

Keith smiled. “I think that’s good.”

“How’s this for an even better idea? Let’s ditch work. We can go and check out other retro diners on the planet. I’ve found a few of them that we can check out.”

Keith’s beautiful smile faltered and Shiro felt a pang in his chest. It felt like he had assumed too much. He wished he could take it back.

“You know I love hanging out with you, Shiro, but I’m actually not working tonight,” Keith admitted. “I’m only here to help with inventory. There’s this big study thing that I need to do. If I lose even a point on my GPA, Iverson will have my ass.”

Alright, Shiro could understand that. Keith wouldn’t lie about his schoolwork. He was off bettering himself and making sure he had a good career lined up. Unlike himself, who wasted his life selling sex and missed out on following his childhood dreams.

He had to stop thinking like that. Keith and a few others wouldn’t appreciate it if they knew Shiro was berating himself.

“That’s fine,” Shiro said. “You go and get yourself an education. We can always schedule a time for us to hang out together.”

“I’d like that.”

Shiro winked at him.

Standing up, he stretched his arms above his head. “Well, I think it’s time we go our separate ways and get out work done,” Shiro said. “You still have inventory to do and I’m in _desperate_ need of a nap if I’m going to look fresh for tonight.” He smiled at Keith. “Do you want me to walk you back to the bar?”

Keith laughed and stood up. “No thank you. Like you said, you need your rest. The last thing I need is Allura chasing me down with a bat. No one wants their money maker to be tired while he’s plowing or getting plowed.”

Shiro couldn’t help but laugh at that.

He still walked with Keith to the bottom of the stairs, waving at him as he disappeared up them. The walk back to his room felt excruciatingly long—which was odd since his door was only a few feet away from the stairs.

Inside the room, he was greeted by Nyma’s naked form. She was awake, eating his favorite bonbons and reading the magazines that he had delivered from Earth. Shiro wondered how long she had been awake. If he wanted to take a wild guess, it was probably the moment he started trying on outfits.

“You got it _bad,_ Shiro,” Nyma commented. She kicked her feet in the air, giggling at something she read.

“Do I want to know how long you’ve been awake?”

“The third outfit you tried on should be thrown into a fire or at least matched with something else.”

That was almost an hour ago.  Shiro figured that Nyma had been awake for as long as he was. She probably woke up just as he rolled out of bed and started trying on outfits. His room was a disaster with his clothes lying about. It was a mess that he would work on cleaning later tonight after work.

“Move over,” Shiro demanded, peeling his clothes off.

Nyma moved so that she was on the right side of the bed, the magazine hovering over her face and the box of bonbons resting on her stomach. Shiro peeled the last of his clothes off and crawled beneath the sheet on the bed. He threw an arm over her and pulled her in a little closer. Having Nyma close felt comforting after being turned down by Keith. Nyma lowered a hand to run her fingers through his hair, comforting him even more.

“Hey, just remember that we have an important day to celebrate,” Nyma reminded. “Forget about Keith for a while and focus on what we accomplished.” She turned her head and kissed his forehead. “Allura won’t like it if you look too exhausted to celebrate with everyone.”

Shiro didn’t want to know how she knew things didn’t go well with Keith. It was like she had a sixth sense on when it happened. Sometimes it was a blessing because she could then comfort him. Other times, her relentless teasing wasn’t worth the pain that Shiro had to go through. Right now, he was glad she was here to be by his side.

He reached up, grabbed the magazine and tossed it over the side of the bed. Before he could grab his snack and do the same thing, Nyma placed it gently to the side. Shiro may not care too much if his bonbons were carelessly tossed aside, but she did. And Coran would too if they wound up getting rodents.

Nyma twisted around until she was under the sheet as well, draping an arm and leg over Shiro. In her embrace, Shiro went out like a light.

* * *

Sweat clung to his body as he danced, trapped between his body and the tight spandex he wore. He had grown used to the feeling after the years of servicing people with his body. His moments of being uncomfortable would only last for so long and then he would be free.

For now, Shiro danced and enjoyed the attention he was receiving.

No one had asked for his company tonight. After performing on the poles, there were clients who wanted to dance with him and nothing more. They knew that today was an important day for Altea. Shiro would need to be taken away to celebrate with the other staff members. Only a few staff members were working the rooms and they would be pulled out so that they could all celebrate together. Of course, any client they were with would be properly compensated for the time they lost. Allura wanted everyone to be around for the cake and so did Shiro.

He chewed his lip as he felt someone grinding against his ass and his groin. It was clear that they wanted him and that they would take his time the moment they could. Shiro and Allura had predicted that he would pull in more money than usual today. He was one of the first workers who helped get Altea off the ground. Everyone who had been there since the beginning would want his time to celebrate in more ways than one.

“Shiro!” Coran’s voice was shrill over the music. “Hunk will be coming up with the cake soon. Get over here!”

“Please excuse me, everyone,” Shiro said with a smile. Clients and guests held on to him, hoping to convince him to stay. He politely declined and promised them that he would be back shortly. They released him when they dubbed his promise good enough.

Shiro pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the bar’s counter. A few of the other workers were there and he assumed that Matt and Lance were going around to collect them. For once, Pidge wasn’t in her DJ booth—she had placed the music on auto and was placing champagne glasses into a pyramid. Allura was the one who popped open the champagne glass and poured the golden liquid from the pyramid’s top. It cascaded down, filling up each glass until it splashed on the bar top.

Soon, the other workers of Altea arrived, crowding the champagne tower. Everyone was there and Shiro felt a warmth spread throughout him. They were his family—he had helped them during difficult moments in their routines, he was there to comfort them when they dealt with a tough client. All these things that made them close and made their connection stronger. If he could, he would get up and hug every one of them, but he’d save that for when the club closed and before they head home.

Hunk’s voice broke through the music as he made his way through the crowd. The cake was held above his head and clients stepped aside to give him room. He placed a beautiful three-tiered cake down on the counter—it was pink frosted with pastel pink droplets of icing. “Altea’s One Year Anniversary” was written on the tiers. The decorations that Hunk placed on them were humorous since they consisted of various sex toys such as handcuffs, butt plugs, and vibrators. All in all, it was amazing.

Allura clapped her hands together and stood up to hug Hunk. “It looks amazing! You must have been working on this all day.”

“Right in the home economics classroom on campus,” Hunk answered. “I did the decorations last night at the apartment and brought everything here to assemble it all together!”

“There are even a few flat sheet cakes downstairs with the same decoration if we run out,” Coran said. He stroked his mustache. “Hunk has great talent. I’m glad that Shiro convinced you to hire him when I was gone.”

Shiro smiled. “I know a good prospect when I see one.”

Allura rolled her eyes. She started to hand out champagne glasses around. There wouldn’t be enough for everyone in the club, but the drinks were heavily discounted for today than normal. If they wanted to, they could go ahead and drink their full. Pidge hurried to her booth and lowered the music so that everyone could hear Allura’s speech. Shiro and Lance helped her stand up on the bar top.

“Everyone, everyone—please settle down.” Allura giggled, smiling at everyone around her. “I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight. A year ago to this day, Shiro and I opened up _Altea,_ named after my home planet.” The crowd laughed and so did she. “I know, I know. Even Shiro and Coran laughed at me when I thought to name the club _Altea_ but look around us. We have so many different clients and workers with us.

“We’ve seen some workers leave to go back to school or get different jobs, we’ve had clients that have been here since we opened! Every time I see our regulars, I’m happy to see them and I enjoy spending time with them to chat. When you all bring new clients that end up as regulars, I can hardly wait to celebrate their one-year anniversary with us.”

Shiro looked around at the crowd. They were silent the entire time that Allura was talking. Some of them had cameras out to record her speech, certainly ready to post it on social media and drum up more business for them. It would be nice to get more curious clients to join the dark side of the city.

“From Shiro and myself, thank you so much for being with us for so long,” Allura continued. “You’ve made this year special for everyone who worked here, and we can’t wait to see what the next year will bring us. Cheers!”

Everyone in the club raised their glasses, whether it was champagne or something from behind the bar and drank just as Allura did.

The bubbly liquid tickled down Shiro’s throat. Nyma hooked their arms together and squeezed. She was with him from the beginning as well as one of the first workers. None of it may have been possible if it wasn’t for her. Her support was what helped him get through a lot of things, including the first few weeks of Altea being empty. She was an important factor as much as all the other workers and clients. Shiro stopped drinking and kissed her cheek, which was returned, leaving a purple stain on his cheek.

Hunk and Matt worked on handing out pieces of cake to everyone while Coran went downstairs to get more. Pidge had already returned to her booth, playing the music louder and mixing it up with happier tunes. Everyone in the club was partying, drinking, and eating as if they didn’t have places to go tomorrow. Shiro hoped that they didn’t since at the rate they were dancing, fucking, and drinking, they would have a hard time tending to their errands.

And just like that, the happy feeling was gone.

The music was lowered until it was a dull pulse like a headache. The air in the club shifted into something dark and miserable. It shook Shiro right to his core.

Near the entrance of the club, clients parted like the sea. He could see the head of someone above the crowd, but he couldn’t tell who it was from the bar. When he finally could see the newcomer, Shiro wished he hadn’t. He pressed his back against the bar, hoping that it would be enough to keep him safe. But he knew it wouldn’t—nothing could keep him safe with _him_ around.

Zarkon approached their small group slowly, staring down at them with beady yellow eyes. They glowed as he looked over them all, silently judging them. Some of the workers hurried away from the bar, wishing to not be under scrutiny. Shiro wished that he could be one of them, but he was frozen in place by Zarkon’s stare. He could feel himself being undressed with his eyes alone and it made his stomach flip.

With Lance and Hunk’s help, Allura was taken off the bar top and down onto the ground. Standing tall, she approached Zarkon, stopping him in his tracks when he was more than five feet away from Shiro. Even that seemed to close and Shiro wished he was further away.

“Emperor Zarkon, welcome to _Altea.”_ Allura bowed to him, but it wasn’t as low as others would have done. As royalty herself, she didn’t need to bow so low. “To what do we owe this honor? Surely you would never pay our little establishment a visit. Isn’t your own club on the fancier side of town?”

Shiro could tell that her words were venomous. Allura may speak like she respected him, but that was far from the case.

There had been an ongoing turf war between Emperor Zarkon and her father King Alfor. They had a strange pact between them, allowing each other to take planets in their own way. If a planet had decided to side with either one of them, the other wouldn’t try and take it away. There were many planets still up for the taking in the various galaxies and Fusuna was one of them. As charismatic as both rulers were, they couldn’t get the leaders of the planet to side with any of them. The leaders were adamant to draw out the decision as long as possible.

That was why _Zarkon’s Place_ and _Altea_ came to be—if they couldn’t please Fusuna’s leaders, then they would please the inhabitants. With luck and hope, the leaders would go with one of them.

Zarkon had more of an advantage than Alfor. His club had been on Fusuna for almost three years. _Altea_ needed to work extra hard if they wanted to catch up to where he was at.

“Good evening, Princess Allura,” Zarkon greeted. Shiro hated how the rumble in his voice made his knees go weak. “I heard that it was Altea’s anniversary and I came to congratulate you. It must be challenging knowing that you’re in the shadow of my own club.”

Allura snorted. “Your club didn’t put up that much of a challenge. Thanks to Shiro and Nyma, we were able to get wonderful workers and morally good clients. Are you here to borrow some so that your clients can see how it’s done?”

Zarkon gave her a fanged smile. “I don’t think that will be necessary, Princess. There is also no need for such hostility. After all, I am only here to congratulate and nothing more.”

Shiro could tell that Allura didn’t trust him—even he had issues believing what Zarkon had said. He had a penchant for being hostile when things didn’t go his way. After all, Shiro had experienced it first hand and he wished to never experience it again. In fact, he would have wanted nothing more than for Zarkon to disappear right now. Shiro wanted him to leave _Altea_ and go back to his expensive hole-in-the-wall club.

“My apologies, Emperor Zarkon,” Allura said with a bow. She sounded sincere, but Shiro knew that it wasn’t so. “I thank you for coming to congratulate us. With hope, there will be another successful year in _Altea’s_ future.”

“As do I. However…” Zarkon stroked his chin, his expensive suit hardly shifted out of place from the movement. “One still wonders how much longer you will have… After all, things happen to club’s all the time—accidents and what not, of course. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to _Altea_ or to any of the workers who call this place home.”

He turned his attention to Shiro, yellow eyes boring into him. Shiro felt his heart thrashing in his chest. He feared that it would burst from his chest cavity and land on the floor. It may just run away from him at the sight of Zarkon.

“If that were to happen, Shiro, I hope you know that you are always welcomed back,” Zarkon offered. “There are many clients who desire to see you again. Quite often do I have to hear them say that they miss you and wish you would return.”

Shiro felt his mouth run dry. He couldn’t push himself any further into the bar if he tried. What he wanted was to get away from the emperor as fast as he could. There was nowhere that he could go, though. Shiro was trapped between two barstools, the bar, and Zarkon’s leering gaze. His legs were growing weaker by the second; his head was swimming and he didn’t know what to do or say. He just wanted to run.

Allura saved him, blocking Zarkon from trying to step forward. He never attempted it, but Shiro was still grateful for the additional protection.

“I’m sorry, Emperor Zarkon, but if your clients wish to see Shiro, then they’ll have to come here. Nothing will happen to _Altea_ and he will continue to work here until he decides to quit himself.”

Zarkon hummed. “Such a shame. Now, I must excuse myself. There are matters that need tending to at my own club. Have a wonderful night, Princess Allura—and congratulations, once more.”

The crowd was still parted when Zarkon initially came into the club. All eyes were on him as he left and the hush on the crowd still hadn’t disappeared. The sound of the doors slamming shut echoed through the club. The air felt suffocating and Shiro felt something cold gripping his lungs. It was torture.

Allura returned to her spot on the bar and clapped her hands together. “A round of drinks on me! Come on up and pick your poison, everyone. Matt and Coran will be happy to give you what you want.”

On cue, the crowd cheered. Pidge turned on the music, pumping up the crowd with happier tunes. Everyone came to crowd around the bar to get the drinks that Allura so happily gave out for free. Because of that, Shiro was starting to feel even more closed in and suffocated. He pushed through everyone, hardly capable of apologizing to them. His only concern was to get away from everyone and hide in his room.

What made matters worse was that his stomach was twisting itself in knots. His ears were ringing and there was darkness bleeding in from the sides of his vision. Whatever was wrong with him, Shiro didn’t want to know. All he felt was the desirable urge to get away and disappear for the rest of the night. Reaching the stairs, he nearly stumbled over them. Shiro’s grip was white-knuckled as he tumbled down them. The railing was his only lifeline and he clung to it to keep alive.

At the bottom of the stairs, he collapsed to his knees. Shiro was hunched over as he stared down at the tiled floor. He wished Zarkon never showed up tonight; he wished that tonight was like any other night and that none of this had ever happened. Getting a root canal without any novocaine would have been preferable than seeing Zarkon again.

Shiro threw up all over the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

He felt numb as he laid in bed. His fingers ran over the threading of his blanket, wondering if they were machine or hand stitched. Above him, he could still hear the beat of the music, thrumming throughout the club. It was starting to give him a headache and he hoped for the medicine he took to kick in soon. Shiro also needed to clean up the mess at the bottom of the stairs, but he was sure Coran or Hunk had already cleaned it by now. He would need to make it up to them by cleaning the kitchen for them.

A knock sounded on his door, but he couldn’t get off his bed to answer it. In fact, even his throat was tightening up. Shiro felt completely boneless. The door opened, anyway, and Nyma slipped into the room. He felt a little bit better upon seeing her. Shiro reached his hand out to her and she immediately took it.

“Shiro, I’m so sorry,” Nyma said, crawling onto the bed. She laid down and wrapped her arms around him. “The moment I saw him, I just… I just ran to the bathroom and hid. Rolo told me that he and Beezer tried to stop him, but Zarkon just brushed past them like they were flies.” She pressed her face into the back of his neck. “I wish I could have been there for you…”

He patted her arm. “It’s okay, Nyma… You were protecting yourself. Besides, you’re here now. I appreciate it.”

Nyma kissed his neck and sighed against him. “Allura said that she’s fine with us staying down here for the rest of the night. Your best client brought over so many boxes of bonbons, too—some of them have ice cream and I already sampled them. They are to die for.” She got up and moved to his other side so that she could face Shiro better. Her smile made him feel warm inside. “Let’s rent a terrible rom-com and pig out.”

Shiro loved Nyma. She was his support as much as he was hers. Things would have been much different if they had never met. He never tried to think about how different they would be. There was an underlying fear that Shiro expected he would be dead instead of where he was now. Instead, he just accepted things how they were and appreciated Nyma every day.

However, he couldn’t stay here. It felt like Zarkon had gone ahead and tainted the entire club. Shiro still felt like he was suffocating and needed to escape.

“I need to get out of here, Nyma,” Shiro whispered. “I would love to spend time with you, but… I can’t. Zarkon… he just—”

Nyma placed a finger to his lips. “You don’t have to say it—I understand. Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t stay here.”

“Then let’s get you out of here. Anywhere is better than here.”

* * *

Shiro had been walking for an hour before he found himself in the park. He slumped on a bench and sighed up into the sky. There were a few stars out tonight, shining brighter than the lights in the city. He thought about what it was like back on Earth when he was a kid. It was always so much fun to go camping with his family and stare up at the stars. Hours would pass by until he fell asleep, forcing his brother to carry him to their tent.

Those were the good old days.

Sighing, Shiro ran his hands down his face. “What am I going to do…?”

There was nowhere for Shiro to go. He didn’t have any other friends on the planet besides the workers at the club. Unfortunately, everyone was at the club, enjoying themselves and bringing in customers. The workers who left were most likely having lives of their own and wouldn’t be able to harbor him. Shiro wished that there was someone out there who could at least distract him from what happened.

Keith’s beautiful face came to mind.

He was the only one who wasn’t at the club right now. Shiro knew that he was busy taking care of school work, but maybe he would have some time to see him. He figured that he only needed an hour or two. That hour with Keith would be more than enough for Shiro to calm down.

Pulling out his phone, he pressed his thumb against his contacts. He scrolled through them until he found Keith’s name. There were red hearts beside it, a little thing he did when no one was looking. Shiro hoped that no one would see it since they would find no excuse to tease him to hell and back. If they found out, he knew he wouldn’t be able to survive the onslaught.

His thumb hovered over Keith’s name. All it would take was a twitch of his thumb and nothing more. Shiro could have Keith on the line in minutes if he just hit the button.

It happened without Shiro realizing he had done it.

He brought the phone to his ear and listened to it ring. It rang once, then twice, and then a third time. The fourth ring had Shiro believing that he wouldn’t reach Keith at all.

“Hello?”

Shiro closed his eyes. It felt good to hear Keith’s voice. He hadn’t expected for it to calm him down slightly. “Hey, it’s me—Shiro.”

“What? Shiro?” Keith laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to be dancing on the bar, celebrating _Altea’s_ birthday?”

“Well, I didn’t feel like celebrating…” Shiro hoped that he didn’t sound so miserable.

But Keith picked up on it in seconds. “Hey, is everything alright? What’s wrong?”

Licking his lips, Shiro lowered his head. “I know you’re busy, but do you think… do you think you can come by and hang out with me for a bit? I don’t think I can bear to be alone tonight…” All he heard was silence, but it was deafening. He was ready to take back his offer and hang up the call.

“Give me a few minutes,” Keith said. “Where are you?”

Shiro told him what park he was at and where he could find him. Now, all he had to do was wait.

Keith arrived within forty-five minutes.

 

 

 

 

He heard the hoverbike before he saw it. Shiro sat up on his elbows and covered his eyes from the blinding headlights. The engine was still running when he noticed a figure hop off it. There was no need to see when Shiro knew who it was. He could recognize that cherry red hoverbike from the top floor of a skyscraper. Besides, who else would be in the middle of the park at two in the morning on a hoverbike?

Shiro sat up and smiled as Keith approached him. He looked like he was out of breath and his face looked flush. In the light of his bike, he looked beautiful to Shiro. Calmness blanketed over him like a layer of snow—just being around Keith was enough for him.

“I came as fast as I could,” Keith said. He stood in front of Shiro and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Whoa, I never thought I could run to my bike so fast…”

Shiro couldn’t stop laughing. It was so good to see him. “Thank you for coming out so late. I’m sorry that I pulled you away from your schoolwork.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” He stood up straight. “I was getting bored of those textbooks and essays. If I didn’t get out of there, I’m sure I would have wound up sleeping in one of them.”

“Then I’m glad I was able to save you.”

“So am I. The least I can do is return the favor.”

He leaned forward and buried his face in Keith’s stomach. Being around him was so calming—like, summer afternoons relaxing at home and wood burning in a campfire. Those were things that Shiro had associated Keith with and those smells calmed him the most. It felt better to have a face to go with the scent. However, there was something else underlying the smell this time. It smelled of liquor and cigarettes, which was strange since Keith had never smelled like that before.

Shiro pulled away, sniffing at Keith’s clothes one more time. “When did you start smoking?”

“Uh, I didn’t. Do I smell like cigarettes?” Keith picked up the lapel of his jacket to smell it. “Ugh, those assholes… My study buddies smoke and they do it while studying. They say it’s to help keep the edge of stress off, but I just think it’s ridiculous. I must reek of smoke.”

“You do.”

“I’ll shower later.” Keith messed with the collar of Shiro’s own leather jacket. It happened to be the one he bought while they went shopping. Shiro wondered if he was thinking about what happened that day. “Why don’t we go ahead check out those restaurants that you were curious about? It’ll be my treat.”

Shiro smiled. “Let’s just head to the usual spot. I miss seeing Terzi’s gooey and smiling face.”

Keith tilted his head back and laughed. He loved that sound so much. “Alright, sure. Come on. I even made sure to bring an extra helmet so that you don’t freak out about my unprotected head.”

Taking Shiro’s hand, Keith led him to his bike. He nearly shoved the spare helmet into Shiro’s hands before slipping his own helmet onto his head. Shiro climbed on after him and wrapped his arms around his strong body. It still surprised him that Keith felt so fit and perfect against his body. Thoughts arrived once more of him burying his face in Keith’s neck. He thought about kissing it and leaving marks there for everyone to see.

Shiro did his best to rid himself of the thoughts. He wasn’t sure if Keith would be fine with that or not and he didn’t want to find out. Their relationship was rocky as it was, and he couldn’t bear the thought of ruining it again. If it was ruined again, there may be no recovering from it and Shiro didn’t want that.

“Are you ready?” Keith asked over the hum of the motor.

“Always!” Shiro shouted back. He pressed the cheek of his helmet against Keith’s back. “Kick it!”

Keith revved the engine a few times before kicking off the ground. Shiro relished in how close he was to him. This was the only way they could be pressed against each other without somebody to make it awkward. Usually, it was someone they worked with, but they were alone together. The only thing that could make this awkward was if Shiro popped a boner—which wasn’t easy since Zarkon had completely ruined whatever sex drive he had for the night.

He was fine enjoying Keith’s company and being close to him.

The ride to the dinner was quick. It seemed like Keith missed every red light and stop sign. Shiro had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, it meant that he could get food in his system, but on the other hand, he couldn’t spend more time holding onto Keith. There was always a chance to do so on the ride back and he hoped that there were plenty of red lights to keep Keith busy. And for them to stay together longer.

Keith backed them into a parking spot and killed the engine. The bike lowered to the ground with a soft thud, which surprised Shiro considering their combined weight. He leaned back as Keith hopped off the bike. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, watching as Keith pulled his helmet off and shook his hair out.

“My good sir.” Keith held his hand out to Shiro. “Please allow me to help you off the bike.”

Shiro laughed and pulled his helmet off. He gripped Keith’s hand and slipped off the side. “Why, thank you, kind sir. I must say that you are quite the gentleman. I think I might keep you.”

“I’m glad to hear that, sir. Might I escort you into the diner for some cooked cow and starchy fried potatoes.”

“You do know that they’re starchy anyway, right?”

“Yes, but these are fried. They have a better taste instead of eating a potato raw.”

Shiro rolled his eyes but hooked their arms together. He let Keith lead him into the diner. Terzi was at the counter, waving a gooey tentacle at them. They waved back and snatched two menus for themselves. Even though they knew exactly what they would get, it still didn’t hurt to see if anything else was going to be interesting on the menu. They took their usual spot in the corner so that they could see Keith’s bike. Besides, they enjoyed the quiet of the corner—it allowed Shiro a chance to be alone with Keith since they couldn’t at the club.

Keith glanced at the menu, his lips pursed together. “I don’t know why I bother with this thing. I’m just going to get the same thing every time.”

“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right?” Shiro hadn’t bothered to open his own menu. After everything that happened with Zarkon this evening, his stomach was still twisted up. He didn’t think he would be able to eat anything until tomorrow.

Keith noticed that his menu remained untouched and he stared hard at Shiro. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Ah…” Shiro smiled at him. “Some things happened at the club tonight so I’m not feeling particularly up to eating at the moment…”

\“Do you want to talk about it?” Keith asked. He seemed more alert now, sitting tall in the booth and leaning in close to Shiro. It was adorable to know that he cared so much for him.

“I’d rather not. You’re doing so well in school and I wouldn’t want you to worry about the club or little ol’ me.”

“I always worry about you, Shiro.”

He felt his temperature rise with Keith’s confession. Shiro rubbed at his face, feeling his cheeks boiling hot against his hand. It felt like all Fusuna’s heat gathered within him. He didn’t know what to say or do and found himself looking everywhere but at Keith.

A hand covered his and Shiro jumped. Keith was looking at him with such a soft look. Shiro found his heart stuttering, struggling to pump blood through the rest of his body. There was no one that he could remember looking at him in such a way. Keith was the first person to have ever done anything like this for him.

“You don’t have to tell me, Shiro,” Keith started, squeezing his hand around Shiro’s, “but please eat something. Look, they have regular ass soup on this menu. You can have that, and it should be easy enough for your stomach if it’s not feeling right.”

Shiro was touched by how much Keith cared about him. He didn’t even know what had happened in the club and didn’t care to know. All he cared about was making sure that Shiro was well and that spoke louder than any actions or other words could say for him.

With a smile, he nodded. “Okay, okay… I’ll get the soup, but you need to drink two milkshakes for me.”

Keith smiled back at him. “That was my plan all along.” He looked over his shoulder and waved for Terzi’s attention. “We’re ready to order!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long for this chapter to come out. When I looked over this chapter to edit it, I realized it wasn't in the right place that I wanted it to be. I knew I needed to fix it up and I'm glad I did. It's much better at where it's instead of where it was.
> 
> Be sure to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/val_hellaa) if you want to know about updates _and_ see the mood boards I created for characters. 8)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finals are around the corner and Keith still doesn't know what he should base his final piece on.

When finals came around, it always seemed like a storm was coming together in their tiny apartment. It wasn’t like any other storm one would see on Fusuna, or Earth, or any other planet. This was one that was created by the three of them together, each one destroying a different part of their home.

Hunk was a typhoon that would tear apart the kitchen in a cloud of flour and steam. Nothing in the kitchen was safe—spoons would be snatched out of their homes, pots, and pans would be smashed against surfaces, and ingredients would disappear from the kitchen. Nothing was safe, and the fridge would be stuffed full of different dishes that he had prepared.

Lance would be a squall, raining down papers everywhere he went in the apartment. He didn’t confine himself in only his bedroom. No, Lance liked to go wherever was comfortable to study and try to get work done. The living room would be stacked with various mock reports, textbooks, notebooks full of notes, and pens tossed carelessly around on the floor. Too often one of them would slip on a piece of paper or a stray pen. It wasn’t enough to injure them, but Lance never took responsibility for it. He was too nose deep in his own books and studies to worry about anyone else.

Keith classified himself as a hurricane that destroyed everything. Unlike his roommates, he kept to himself in his own room and allowed it to suffer from the worst destruction. There would be various sketches thrown across his room along with pencils; his easel would have a painting that made no sense since he painted over his original concept; his hands would be blackened from charcoal pencils and he would stain everything he touched. By the end of finals, Keith didn’t even recognize his own bedroom.

“Hey, Keith! Hunk says it’s time for lunch!”

“Lance! I asked you to _walk_ up to his door, knock, and tell him that it’s time for lunch.”

What’s the difference? He can still hear me.”

 _Barely_ Keith thought to himself. He had been blasting heavy metal music since he started studying. There was something about the bass and the guitar riff that helped him focus on what he needed to do. Did it always work? No, but Keith needed it. It wasn’t loud enough for the neighbors to start complaining, but it was loud enough so that he couldn’t hear the chaos of his roommates.

“Barely!” Hunk’s voice said through the dull of his music and bedroom door.

A minute or two passed before a knock broke through Keith’s concentration. “Yo, mullet! Hunk says it’s lunchtime!”

Keith sighed, bowing his head. He crawled over to his stereo and paused the music. Lance didn’t wait for a verbal answer and opened his door. Keith figured he heard the lack of music and assumed it was fine to walk in. He was too mentally exhausted to yell at him. This would be a pass, just this once.

He trailed after Lance back to the kitchen where Hunk was still moving about like a man with a plan. The smell of food was enough to wake Keith’s mind up, but his stomach was a different story. Stress did terrible things to a person and that included a loss of appetite. There would be no escaping Hunk’s desire to feed him, though. Ever since someone let slip that he hadn’t been eating probably, Keith had been on food watch for the last couple of days.

He never thought to point the blame at Shiro and he never would. Shiro’s heart was in the right place.

Keith stared at the food that was settled before him. Hunk was never the kind of person to cater to the conventional means of meals. There were waffles, pancakes, strips of bacon, and cookies laid out for them all to eat. He figured that Hunk needed to clear his head from studying if the plate of cookies were anything to go by. At least they were always good.

“Ow,” Keith muttered, snatching his hand back. He had tried to swipe a cookie before eating any of the other options, which earned him a smack from Hunk’s spatula.

“You know the rules, Keith,” Hunk warned, pointing his spatula at him. “Eat some actual food first and _then_ you can have a cookie.”

Keith grumbled but it was drowned out by the frustrated noise Lance let out. It was almost a screech, and Keith felt his ears pop. If it was up to him, he would have muzzled Lance a long time ago.

“My head hurts so much that I think it’s about to explode,” Lance muttered. He buried his head in his arms as his leg bounced up and down. “Is it too late to jump in front of a speeding car?”

“Don’t say that Lance,” Hunk warned. He tapped him on the shoulder with his spatula. “Come on and eat up. You’ll feel better when you get something in your stomach—you both will. I know you two have been studying since morning and skipped breakfast. Food is brain fuel, so eat up.”

Keith wasn’t sure if he could stomach eating and it seemed that Lance felt the same way. The way Hunk was staring at them was a clear sign that they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Grabbing his fork, Keith grabbed a bit of the pancakes, waffles, and bacon. Lance slid the maple syrup over to him and he quietly thanked him. The moment the food touched Keith’s tongue, he felt the stress melt away like butter. For once since he woke up, his mind slowed down instead of racing around. Hunk was right—eating was a good thing to take a break from all the studying that he had been doing. Casual conversation passed between them all and they all stayed clear of university talk. The last thing they wanted to do was talk about the very thing stressing them out.

Instead, talk centered around the club and what was going on within it.

Keith was the subject of some teasing about his and Shiro’s relationship, but he easily deflected it. Lance didn’t have a thing against Keith beside that. On his side, he had all the information that Pidge had ever given him plus how much he failed at wooing Allura. Once he brought that up, Lance was silent and didn’t bring it up again. Hunk talked about how Lance was learning pole-dancing from Nyma and Shiro. According to him, he had been doing well with his practices.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Keith muttered.

Lance snorted. “Then the next time we’re working together, I’ll show you just how great I am! Don’t be jealous that I’m more flexible than you are.”

He rolled his eyes. “We’ll see. So, Hunk, how’s the kitchen going down in the basement?”

“Shiro’s a great taste tester,” Hunk responded with a sly grin. Keith may have managed to get Lance off his back, but Hunk was a different story. “Whatever new thing I make, he’s always in the kitchen ready to try it. I might just have to kick you guys out and have him move in. At least he’s not afraid of trying anything new.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know your terrible creations yet,” Lance reminded. “Give him a bit and he’ll see the truth.”

Keith moved a piece of bacon through a river of syrup. Shiro had been on his mind for a while now. It seemed like their late-night date at the diner happened only yesterday, but it was around two weeks ago. Since then, Keith hadn’t been able to shake Shiro off his mind—it was nothing new, but he needed to forget about him for finals week. He still wondered what caused Shiro to call him so late at night. When Keith pulled up in the park, he looked so broken and small.

He never wanted to see Shiro like that again. The Shiro that Keith knew was tall and confident, full of sexy allure and able to stop anyone in their tracks with a single glance. It had happened to Keith plenty of times before. There were too many moments when he had to struggle with his own breathing.

“Keith? Hey, Keith! Are you listening to us?”

The piece of bacon slid off his plate and onto the countertop. Before Hunk could make a complaint, Keith grabbed it and popped it into his mouth. His roommates were staring at him with mischievous looks. It was clear that he had spaced out and that they caught him in the act.

“Can I help you?” Keith questioned.

“Ah, yes you can,” Lance answered. “I was wondering if you knew the size of Shiro’s cock since you’re clearly fantasizing about it right now.”

Keith would have pushed him off the stool if Hunk hadn’t playfully slapped Lance’s arm. It wasn’t the kind of punishment that he wanted, but it would have to do. Hunk would at least try to keep Lance in line.

“Anyway, how do you feel now, guys?” Hunk asked.

“Completely stuffed,” Lance commented. “Thank you, Hunk. You’re really the best.”

“We’d probably die without him. There’s only so much takeout food we can buy before we explode,” Keith added. He reached out and patted Hunk’s hand. “Thanks, big guy. I needed that.”

Hunk smiled. He turned around to start cleaning the dishes he had used. Even he looked better after cooking and eating himself. “I’m glad. Do you think you guys are ready to get back to studying?”

Lance groaned, tilting his head to the ceiling. “Not really… I don’t want to go back to studying alien law. When am I ever going to need it?!”

“You’ll find a use for it,” Hunk answered. “Get back to the living room and work. I don’t want to see your face until you get a few pages of your textbook done.”

Lance grumbled. He slid off the stool and trudged back to the living room. Keith could hear the loud thump as he crashed on the couch. There was another sound of papers and books hitting the floor. He wondered if Lance just shoved his things aside just to lay down and take a nap.

“What about your final, Keith? Did you find a subject to sketch and draw?” Hunk asked.

Keith refused to look at him. He hadn’t found a subject at all. Out of all his sketchbooks, he couldn’t find anything to focus on to draw. Whenever he hated what he saw, he would toss his book aside and hope that it would disappear into some void. He never got his wish and Keith had to know that it still existed of bad drawings and ripped pages.

“Keith,” Hunk said sternly.

“No, I haven’t picked a subject. I’m thinking of jumping out the window. Falling from the sixteenth floor will kill me, right?”

“That’s not funny at _all,_ Keith.” Hunk placed his hands on his hips. “You’re cramped up in that room all day. You should get out and get some fresh air—go take a walk in the park, eat at some restaurant, pick up Shiro and walk around with him.”

“What makes you think that I want to hang out with Shiro?” Keith questioned much too quickly. He was starting to sweat now.

Hunk raised an eyebrow at him. “Allura and I both know that you have a sketchbook dedicated to sketching him. We see it sometimes, but we’re kind enough not to mention it.”

He couldn’t be more humiliated. The entire time Keith thought he was being sneaky when he really wasn’t. However, he thought a sketchbook full of Shiro sketches was a little much. Even he didn’t believe that he sketched Shiro that much.

“Yeah, jumping out the window is starting to sound more interesting by the minute.”

_“Keith.”_

* * *

He wanted to believe that Hunk was wrong about his sketchbook, but he couldn’t be more correct. Keith _did_ have an entire sketchbook full of things that he had done of Shiro while he was working. If he wasn’t embarrassed before, he certainly was now.

Hunk had gotten his way and managed to chase Keith out of the house. He hardly had enough time to grab a few essentials and shove them into his bag. The diner was the best place for him thanks to its calming atmosphere. Keith could relax and unwind while being served his favorite burgers, fries, and shake. Terzi would keep them coming for as long as he needed them, adding onto his tab until he was ready to go home.

For once, Keith couldn’t relax. One of the sketchbooks he managed to grab was indeed the sketchbook full of drawings he had done of Shiro. There were sketches of him dancing with others, performing on the pole, wooing someone at the bar, etc. He hadn’t realized that he had nearly filled an entire book of him. Keith wasn’t sure if that was a clear sign of his obsession or not.

“How’s it going, Keith?”

Keith snapped the sketchbook shut and slammed it down onto the table. Terzi was beside him, sliding him another milkshake. He wondered how long she had been standing there, staring over his shoulder. If there was any deity that was listening to him, Keith would appreciate if it spared him humiliation.

“Are the ovens here big enough for a person to fit in them?” Keith responded with a fake smile.

Terzi gave him a flat look. “Keith, please…”

“I’m not joking.”

She rolled her eyes. Sitting down across from him, she picked up one of his sketchbooks on the table. Keith whispered a quiet thank you that it wasn’t the “Shiro sketchbook” and that she never left behind any pink goo on paper. Terzi looked through the drawings he had done, tilting her head left and right.

He watched her carefully, reading her face with every turn of the page. Keith wanted to digest what Terzi thought of his drawings. He couldn’t remember a time he had ever shown her any of his sketchbooks or drawings. She had seen him sketching at the diner plenty of times in the exact same booth they were sitting at. The only reason she never saw any of his work before was that Keith was a private person when it involved his sketches. Hunk was the only lucky one besides Terzi to see them.

“These are really good,” Terzi commented.

Keith scoffed. “They aren’t that good.”

“No, they really are.” She turned the sketchbook towards him. It was a sketch of what he could see outside the diner—an empty lot filled with local high school students working together to make it into some sort of community garden. They were doing a good job at it. “I never noticed that empty lot before you pointed it out today. I always thought it was just a wasted space cluttered with garbage and junk.”

“Those kids out there make it look better,” Keith said with a shrug. He knew that Terzi was trying her best, but it wasn’t working. Her compliments weren’t his cup of tea while he was in this kind of mindset.

Terzi conceded with a sigh. She continued to look through the pages of his sketchbook, flipping through them casually. Something on a page made her stop and her eyes bulge out of their sockets. A slow smile came to Terzi’s face, causing a drop of goo to drip onto the table. Keith would have thought about cleaning it if it weren’t for her smile making him feel uneasy.

“Well then, Keith… If you want to make something _good,_ then I suggest you draw Shiro more often.”

Keith felt his entire body run cold. His eyes widened as he stared at Terzi, trying to come up with a reason she had arrived at that conclusion. He glanced at the sketchbook closest to him. That was the only book he knew that was full of sketches he had done of Shiro. He couldn’t understand why Terzi would bring them up now if she looked over his shoulder more than five minutes ago.

As if she read his mind, Terzi turned the sketchbook back to him and Shiro’s profile smiled back at him. Keith could remember the exact moment he had started to draw it and Shiro never realized he was doing so.

“Have anything to say about that, Keith?” Terzi questioned.

He slouched in his seat and crossed his arms, refusing to look at Terzi and face the truth.

“Why don’t you call him up? Ask him to pose all seductively for you,” Terzi suggested. She battered her eyelashes, goo dripping more down her chin. “You might get to fourth base without doing any of the extra work in a relationship.”

Snatching his sketchbook from her hand caused goo to splatter onto the window and beside him. Keith pointed to the kitchen. “Why don’t you get back to work?”

Terzi laughed, tossing her head back. She stood up and oozed her way back to the counter. He grabbed one of his napkins and worked on cleaning up the mess they made together, his mine chugging away at thoughts that cluttered his mind.

She was right.

Keith hated that she was right.

If he wanted to be productive, he needed Shiro to help him out. Keith hadn’t realized that his best subject would be Shiro out of anything else on the planet. It was the curve of his body and the shape of his face; Keith would get lost in the plains of his body, putting a pencil to paper until he lost track of time. It would only take minutes for him to have a sketch of the man of his dreams down in his sketchbook. He shouldn’t really be surprised that there was an entire sketchbook dedicated to Shiro’s form.

Tossing his napkins onto the cluttered table, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. It felt almost automatic to go through his contacts until he landed on Shiro’s name. Keith had to bite back his smile before Terzi made a sly comment. The last thing he wanted was to hear whatever she would say if she caught Keith smiling like a fool.

There were stars and a purple heart beside Shiro’s name—why he had done it, he didn’t know. Keith put his name on his phone and the emoticons were just something he put in place before he realized it. The more he looked at it, the more he realized it looked cute besides Shiro’s name.

Just how long did he have this crush on Shiro? Keith humored the idea that it developed since he worked there, but he knew the truth.

It happened the moment he saw Shiro walking up those stairs like he was a deity appearing before him, swaddled in pink silk and feathers. At that moment, Keith saw him glowing and he could remember the way his knees buckled beneath him. It was a wonder he hadn’t fallen to the floor.

If he had, he would have asked Shiro if he could suck his cock.

Shit, what was wrong with him?

The last time he had a crush this huge was when he crushed on Kolivan, his Galran gym teacher in high school. There were many times when he was close to sucking his dick, too.

This was different, though—Keith was now crushing on someone that was his age, someone he had common interests with.

Tossing his hands, in the air, Keith made his decision. He picked up his phone and hit the call button under Shiro’s name. With each ring, his heart would beat faster and faster. There was an underlying fear that Shiro wouldn’t answer him at all. He hoped that he would at least get a decent excuse instead of a lie.

“Keith?”

Immediately Keith didn’t know what to say when Shiro answered. He was much too shocked to get his mouth to start working. It flapped open and shut like a fish while his mind screamed for him to say something, _anything._ “Hey… How are you today, Shiro?”

“A lot better now that I got to hear from you,” Shiro answered in a sultry tone. Keith repressed a shudder that threatened to start at the base of his spine. “What about you? To what do I owe this pleasant conversation, hm?”

Now that he was talking to Shiro, Keith was started to doubt himself. What if this was a clever ruse created by Terzi and his roommates? They knew that he liked Shiro as it was probably written all over his face. Hunk wouldn’t so willfully do something that would embarrass him, and it was possible that Terzi wouldn’t either. Lance, on the other hand, was always waiting for a chance to humiliate him in front of his crush. If it wasn’t for Allura, he would have taken the chance a long time ago.

Keith reminded himself to thank her when he had the chance.

“Hellooooooooo. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeith.”

“I-I’m sorry—what did you say?”

Shiro chuckled and Keith found himself smiling. “You went quiet on me for a while there. Are you okay? Did someone more attractive than me walk past you or something?”

“No one’s more attractive than you.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“As much as I would love to shower you with compliments, I actually have a job offer for you.”

“If you’re setting up a strip club to rival Allura’s, let me break the news to her gently.”

Keith laughed. “No, it’s nothing like that at all.” He grabbed one of his fries and crushed it between his thumb and index finger. He compared it to how his hopes would be crushed when Shiro turned him down. “I was wondering if the offer to pose for my drawings was still on the table…”

Shiro went quiet and Keith felt like he had dropped a bomb between them—shrapnel dug into his flesh and ripped him apart. The longer the silence drew out the longer he felt himself falling apart to bleed onto the leather material of the booth. His mind clouded with doubt. Words bounced off the walls of his cranium, telling him that this was a mistake, that Shiro was only joking with him before. It would be time to hang up and quit his job at Altea so that they would never have to see each other again and save them from embarrassment.

“When do you want to do it then?”

Keith let out a breath he hadn’t been aware that he was holding in. He tried to steady his breathing and closed his eyes. “We can do it in an hour at my apartment if you’d like. I should be able to kick Lance and Hunk out.”

And if Lance refused to move, he would push him out the window.

Maybe he wouldn’t be that extreme, but Keith would find a way to get him out of the apartment. If Keith told Hunk what was about to happen, he would help get Lance out of their place without any argument. Keith always wondered how he managed to do it.

“Sure. I’ll get some outfits ready and see you then. Just don’t forget to text me your address.”

“C-cool. Thanks, Shiro. This means a lot to me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Keith hung up and stared down at his barely touched food. He wasn’t hungry when he first entered the diner and he still wasn’t hungry. How could he be expected to eat when his stomach was doing cartwheels in its fleshy vessel? Any bite he would consume would most likely be vomited into a toilet within minutes.

He grabbed his shake and tossed the straw aside. He brought it to his lips, ignoring how the freezing liquid made his throat ache. Keith finished it in three large gulps then slammed the glass down onto the table much harder than he intended. If it broke, he would have happily paid for it.

“Hey, Terzi, can I get another milkshake with maybe a shot in it?”

Terzi raised an eyebrow at him. “We don’t carry alcohol in here, Keith. Whatever bravery you need from that poison for Shiro is completely unnecessary.” She grinned at him. “I’m sure that Shiro would happily be all over you the moment you two are alone.”

Keith groaned loudly.

* * *

He never felt more frustrated over the mess that Lance left in the living room. His textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and pens were littered all over the coffee table and on the couch. Hunk would usually scold Lance to have him put his stuff away. Like Keith, he enjoyed having the living room look like an actual living room instead of another room for Lance. It happened at least once a week and Lance never learned his lesson.

Now it was kicking Keith in the ass because Shiro was on his way and he only got half of the living room done.

Keith didn’t put in the effort to make sure that Lance’s belongings were in the right place in his room. He had become frustrated with the mess he found himself in and either put the items on the desk or on his bed. If Lance didn’t want it in the wrong place, then he should have brought it to his room when Hunk told him to—that or never take it out of his room in the first place.

Cleaning was also Keith’s attempt to slow down his racing mind.

Since leaving the diner, Keith’s mind had been supplying different scenarios until he couldn’t discern what was real and what wasn’t. He wondered if Shiro would think that it was a way of gaining a free show to look at him naked. There were plenty of sketches in his many sketchbooks of nude people, but Keith wouldn’t want Shiro to think that was what he wanted.

His mind immediately supplied an image of Shiro at his door in nothing but a bathrobe. It played a scenario of Shiro placing hands on Keith’s shoulders and pushing him back to the couch. A playful strip tease would start until he was completely naked in front of Keith, looking down at him with a wicked grin.

Keith wondered if Shiro would be flattered or laugh if he got hard from seeing him naked. It was something that he wanted to avoid, but some things couldn’t be avoided. Shiro was coming here to help Keith with his art and not with his boner. He would need to control himself if he wanted things to go smoothly.

Maybe he should cancel this “date” of theirs. It was starting to feel more and more like a bad idea. Terzi may have been trying to help his creative talent, but perhaps this wasn’t the way to do it. Maybe he should have taken a walk through the park and sat down at one of the benches. There were plenty of equipment that kids played on for him to draw. If he put his mind to it, Keith could do it within an hour or so. It would be less embarrassing if he went down that path.

The doorbell rang.

There went the idea of canceling.

Keith literally tossed the last of Lance’s items on his bed. He stopped in front of a mirror and made sure his hair was in place. It usually wasn’t, something that Lance constantly made fun of, but he didn’t want it to look _too_ disheveled.

His hair wasn’t going to get any better.

With his inner voice screaming at him, Keith opened the door. He had to bite his lip to make sure that his jaw didn’t hit the floor.

Shiro stood before him in tight leather pants, a white T-shirt under his leather jacket, and aviator sunglasses. The outfit on anyone else would have gotten a subtle nod from Keith. The outfit on Shiro had Keith’s inner voice begging to ask Shiro if he could pleasure him in any way. Keith zipped his inner voice shut and tossed it into the deep abyss.

Too bad he couldn’t do that about his salivating mouth.

“Hey, thanks for coming,” Keith managed to say.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Shiro responded. He took his sunglasses off and slipped them into a small duffle bag. Keith hadn’t realized he was carrying one.

He stepped away from the door and opened it more. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable. I think Hunk left some snacks lying around.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Shiro strolled into the apartment as if he had been there plenty of times before. Keith had to briefly wonder if Hunk or Lance had brought him here. He quickly threw the idea away because Hunk would have told him if it happened.

Keith wrung his hands as he watched Shiro. He was interested in the pictures that Hunk and Lance had decorated the walls with—there were pictures of their families, things that they had put together to make their apartment seem like a home. Shiro wouldn’t find a single image involving Keith and his family on the wall. There were no portraits of his mother and father or any brothers and sisters he had during his adoption in many families. The only one he had was in a box in the back of his closet—and that’s where it would stay.

“Is that a picture from one of your birthdays?”

When had he gone into the kitchen?

Keith walked to the archway and groaned.

There was a picture of him on the fridge that he hadn’t thought about hiding. He didn’t think that Shiro would wander into the kitchen without prompt. The picture in question was from last year when Lance had managed to slam his face into a cake specifically made to do so. It was the worse betrayal ever done to him by Hunk.

“Yeah, that picture isn’t so important,” Keith muttered, crossing his arms.

“You look cute when you’re flustered—”

“Okay!” Keith clapped his hands together. “Why don’t we get started? I know you’re probably needed at the club later tonight.”

Shiro chuckled. “Alright, alright. You’re the artist.” He sauntered up to Keith, his eyes hooded. Keith fought the urge to swallow around the lump in his throat. “So… how and where do you want me?”

Keith’s brain came to a screeching halt.

This was straight from a terrible porno on Pornhub. That was a line people used when they wanted to have sex with someone. He had seen it all the time in the porn he would consume on lonely nights. The working parts of his brain put a conclusion that Shiro had gotten the wrong idea about their sketch session. It decided that what he was here for was sex and only that. Keith floundered with a response, his mind trying to reboot so that he could properly do so.

Shiro stared at him for another minute he realized what was happening. “Ah, sorry about that. What I meant was where would you like me to pose and if you’d rather I remained dressed as I am, in my extra outfit, my underwear, or…” He smiled, “should I just strip down and be naked?”

That was the second time Keith’s brain derailed and he couldn’t say how long it would take for it to start back up again.

He shook his hands as if he was trying to get a bug off himself. “Wear whatever will make you feel comfortable.” Keith needed to get away from Shiro quickly if he needed to calm down. He pointed to a door behind them. “The bathroom’s there and I’ll just set everything up out here.”

“Okay,” Shiro said. He didn’t seem bothered by what happened between them. “Are you sure you don’t want to help me? These pants take a while for me to get into sometimes, so getting out of them is usually a challenge.”

Keith loudly whimpered and buried his face in his hands. He was walking blindly to his bedroom as he shouted for Shiro to get changed.

Shiro’s pleasant laugh made his ears ring and he loved it.

He had everything ready in minutes. Keith knew exactly where he wanted Shiro to pose and that was only because he imagined him there plenty of times. Shiro just seemed so in place in the apartment, especially when he thought of them living alone together. It wouldn’t be like this apartment exactly, but a place a little smaller. They would be the only ones living there and they could share a bed together. Maybe they could get a cat or some other small animal to take care of.

Keith shook his head. Those were the type of things he shouldn’t be thinking about. It was like he was already in a relationship with Shiro when that was far from the truth. What was going through his head was wishful thinking and nothing else. He had been trying to get rid of it for some time but there was no stopping it—it was like a parasite that attached itself to his brain.

“Are you ready for me, Keith?”

“Yeah, I’m ready—”

A gurgling sound died in his throat. Shiro stood in only a recognizable pair of short shorts. They hugged Shiro’s hips, framing the cock hiding behind them. It left very little to the imagination, even more so than the sweatpants that Keith first saw him in. Just from the view alone, Keith could feel his mouth drying up. Being in the same space as Shiro wouldn’t be healthy for him. And yet he was fantasizing about having a life together.

“Are those…” Keith tried to clear his throat, but it sounded like a terrible cough. “Are those the, uh, shorts with the zippered crotch?”

Shiro placed his hands on his hips, grinning from ear to ear. “They are. Do you want to see how much the zipper shows when its pulled down?” Without waiting for an answer, he lowered his hand to his zipper.

Keith heard the telltale signs of his pencils cracking within his hand. He continued to stare at Shiro’s crotch, licking his lips when thick fingers twitched over the metal piece. The voice that he assumed was locked away told him to take Shiro up on that offer. It also told him to do other things with him right in the living room for Lance and Hunk to see.

He tossed it back into its box and locked it again.

“Maybe another time. For now, we should get started,” Keith said. He wished he didn’t sound so pathetic.

“Of course, Keith.”

A blanket was placed on the window sill and bunched up as much as Keith could. Since Shiro would be sitting on it for what might be hours, he wanted him to be comfortable. When he looked at it, it didn’t look comfortable at all. He was tempted to grab a pillow from the couch so that it would be. Shiro stopped him from doing it, claiming that it was fine. For Keith, he wasn’t entirely sure if Shiro’s misery would be worth it. He wasn’t sure if he would consider the piece as a warmup or something that he would present as a final piece.

Shiro sat down on the windowsill and Keith arranged him until one foot was propped in front of him and his arms wrapped around his knees. When he tried to look at Keith, his face was turned back to the window. The afternoon sun shone nicely on him.

Once he was sure that Shiro was comfortable and wouldn’t move, Keith backed up to the couch to sit down. As soon as his pencil hit the paper, he lost himself in the motion. He looked back and forth from his paper to Shiro’s form. Too often he found himself lost in how muscular he was, the way the scars marked his body that proved he was strong. Keith had to reign in his lust so that he could concentrate more on his drawing.

“The plants out here are nice,” Shiro finally said, pointing out the window. “I’m sure they’re either yours or Hunk’s. Regardless, one of you two has a wonderful green thumb.”

Keith twirled the pencil in his hand. “The ones that are herbs are Hunk’s and the desert looking plants are mine. I say I’m decent at it, but Hunk’s better at caring for them. Mine don’t have to thrive much since this planet is like a desert. And please sit still so I can do this—I’m halfway done.”

Shiro chuckled, but he obeyed and returned to his previous position.

Looking at Shiro, Keith roamed his gaze over the dip of his pecs and abdomen. He focused on the way his Adam’s apple bobbed with every swallow, how beautiful his eyes looked and how sharp his jawline was. Shiro always looked at peace while he was in Altea, but here in his apartment? Keith thought he looked even more so as if the stress of the club melted away just from being away from it.

“You have a very great profile for this,” Keith commented.

“You flatter me,” Shiro said. “I didn’t feel any special today, so I’m glad you called. … It helped a little with what was going on…”

“Why wouldn’t you—” Keith stopped himself from asking that question.

His eyes wandered over Shiro’s body. He looked at the scars that covered him from head to toe. Anyone who was marked up as Shiro would naturally feel that way. It didn’t matter that he worked in a place like Altea and was considered one of the most popular workers. Shiro wasn’t excluded from the rule that everyone had down and dark days.

Keith licked his lips, gripping his book tighter than ever. “I think you’re beautiful, Shiro…”

Shiro’s head whipped around to look at him, his eyes wide.

He mirrored the expression because he couldn’t believe that he had said that. The words felt strange but right on his tongue, as if they had been waiting to be said all this time. It was much different than when he had said it before. Keith shouldn’t have blurted it out the way he did. However, the words were out, and they soaked through their clothes, leaving them breathless.

Keith stood up, dropping his book and pencil on the coffee table. “I’m going to go—”

Shiro’s grabbed him by the wrist and kept him in place. “Wait—”

What happened next could only be explained as a magnetic pull.

Keith moved closer until his lips met Shiro’s. They slotted together like perfect pieces and a warmth spread through Keith’s body. He was pulled closer to Shiro until he was between his legs, pressed firmly against his hard body. Keith ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair, pleased by the slight groan that slipped out when his nails scratched over his scalp. A tiny gasp left him as he felt large hands squeeze his hips before moving over the swell of his ass to grip at his thighs.

The kiss was everything that Keith imagined it would be and more. Shiro’s lips were soft against his and the kisses tasted sweet. He wanted to drink him all in until he was full.

When the need to breath became apparent, they pulled only an inch apart.

Shiro licked his lips, touching Keith’s in the process. “I think I moved…”

“Oh… Then I guess I’m going to have to start all over again.”

A firm hand grabbed the back of his head and Keith found himself in another intense lip lock. Shiro moved his hands to his ass and gripped him, massaging the plump flesh. Keith couldn’t stop himself from pushing back against the touch. The attention that he was receiving was thrilling and wonderful. He wondered why it had taken so long for them to do this.

There was a jingle coming from the door.

Keith’s heart stopped as he realized that Hunk and Lance had finally returned home.

They pulled apart from each other. He hopped onto the couch, scattering papers and pencils to the floor. Keith heard Shiro escape into the bathroom, closing the door with a heavy slam. Their timing was accurate as Hunk and Lance walked into the apartment with grocery bags in their arms. They both looked cheerful until they took one look at Keith’s breathless and red face. If he had more time, he would have run to his room and hid.

“Are you okay?” Hunk asked.

Keith wasn’t sure what he should say in a situation like this. Right now, he didn’t trust his voice even if he knew. His mouth and throat felt so dry that he feared it would crack the moment he tried to utter a single word.

At that moment, Shiro stepped out of the bathroom. He was fully dressed, but his face and neck were red. He and Keith were sporting matching looks and it didn’t go unnoticed. Hunk and Lance looked back and forth between them, their eyes wide and analytical.

“Hello, Hunk, Lance. How are you two today?” Shiro asked.

“I’m fine if you are, Shiro,” Hunk answered politely. He smiled and motioned to the bags in his arms. “I’m about to make something delicious for dinner. Do you want to join us? I always make too much for us all to eat anyway.”

Shiro groaned. “I wish I could… But there are things that Allura called me about that involves Altea. I should probably get to her before she rips my ears off again. Maybe you can bring some the next time you come to work?”

“You know it! I’ll be sure to bring you the best plate I make,” Hunk said happily.

“Thank you, Hunk. See you all later.”

Shiro left before he could hear a proper farewell from them.

The silence in the room was stifling.

Keith could tell that it didn’t bode well for him. Jumping out of the window would be out of the question. Hunk and Lance were already staring at him. The moment he tried it, they would tackle him to the ground, ruining his chance of escape. But staying in the apartment where they would stare at him was out of the question. Keith didn’t like how sly Lance looked. Hunk held a sweet and caring gaze but didn’t stop him from feeling uncomfortable.

“Lance…” Keith said. “Don’t—”

“Why was Shiro here, hmm?” Lance asked anyway. The more he grinned, the more Keith could compare him to the Cheshire cat and he didn’t like it. “Why were you two so red in the face, huh? Are we going to find some naughty things lying around?”

“I was about to say for you not to start.”

Hunk stepped between them to be safe. “I think it’s sweet. You and Shiro… you two would make a cute couple.”

Keith fought the urge to scream at them both. He hopped off the couch and grabbed his belongings. “I’ll be in my room!”

Lance’s kissing sounds followed him into his bedroom. He was still going strong even with the door closed.

Sighing, Keith pressed his back against the door and lowered himself to the floor. He heard Hunk distract Lance and order him to help with the groceries. The apartment was soon filled with the sounds of items being stocked and their idle chatter about something that wasn’t about Keith. That hadn’t happened in a long while.

And Keith was still bothered by what Lance said.

What would he know? According to Hunk, Lance hadn’t had a girlfriend in years. What would he know about what it was like to crush on someone or vice versa? Keith deduced that Lance didn’t know anything, and he wouldn’t listen to any of his prying questions or suggestions.

His finger roamed over the edges of his sketchbook. He hadn’t dared to look at it since after the kissing scene with Shiro. Even when he ran into his room, he still hadn’t looked. For some reason, he was a little scared to see what he had drawn. It was a feeling that he never experienced before. Keith was always able to look at his drawings and decided if he liked them or not.

It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled the sketchbook away from his chest. Keith ran his fingers over the lines he had created of Shiro, imagining that he was touching him in person. Even though Shiro had his own issues with his appearance, Keith knew the truth. He knew that he was beautiful and amazing in his own way. He wished that Shiro could believe it himself, but he didn’t have a magic wand to wave and boost his confidence about his appearance. It didn’t work like that.

Only Shiro had the power to do something like that for himself.

Bringing his fingers to his lips, Keith’s mind supplied the image of Shiro in front of him. His lips were so soft and supple, completely different from his own. Even the way Shiro kissed was different than the others he had kissed before. Keith wrapped his lips around the pads of his fingers, wishing that Shiro was there to replace them at that moment.

Maybe there really was something that Keith hadn’t seen yet. Perhaps it was there all along and he just hadn’t realized how quickly it blossomed. At first, he recalled it being a tiny bud that had been in the shadows for far too long. It was much too small to be considered anything special and Keith certainly didn’t expect it to bloom at all.

Because of that, he never realized that it sprouted tiny vines that wrapped around his ankles and up his legs. It trapped him and refused to let go.

Keith let his head bang against the door. “I’m so screwed…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly didn't think I would be able to get this finished by today. It needed to be completely looked over to make sure that it was edited properly. Yet, here it is! I hope everyone enjoys it. ♥  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/val_hellaa)


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